Lindsey Schneeberger appears in mugshots in May 2023. (Olmsted County Sheriff’s Department)
A former teacher and coach was recently arrested and charged for repeat sexual assault of a teenager, authorities in Minnesota say.
Lindsey Schneeberger, 24, was arrested on Thursday by the Rochester Police Department. On Friday, she was arraigned on three felony counts of criminal sexual conduct with a child under 14 by a person in a position of authority in the first degree.
Schneeberger coached volleyball and taught physical education at Pine Island Middle School, where she allegedly met and groomed the victim in the case, according to the Post Bulletin.
The sexual assaults are alleged to have occurred even after the defendant was no longer employed in education – between March 1 and May 15, and the charges allege that penetration occurred, the paper reported. On March 6, when she was still a teacher at the school, she was placed on leave due to the beginning of an investigation, Pine Island Public School Superintendent Tamara Champa said. Schneeburger resigned 10 days later.
“Any time we have any concern about students, we are going to react swiftly, always, and always make sure that students are at the forefront of every decision we make,” Champa told the paper.
After resigning, the defendant obtained another job in a school district roughly 13 miles due south.
The Byron Public School District reportedly only learned about Schneeberger’s charges on Friday – after her arraignment.
“There have been no allegations involving students at Byron Public Schools,” Byron Public Schools Superintendent Mike Neubeck wrote in a statement provided to the paper. “Ms. Schneeberger is not scheduled to work and will not have access to any students. Further information regarding her employment is private personnel data at this point in time. There is nothing more important than the safety, security and well-being of our students and, while privacy laws do not allow us to discuss all of the actions that have been taken, please understand that the District immediately responded to the information received today. If you have any information related to this matter, you are urged to contact the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Department.”
The student’s mother found text messages on her 13-year-old daughter’s cellular phone, which suggested an inappropriate relationship, according to the Rochester Police Department, Austin, Minnesota-based ABC affiliate KAAL reports.
The teenager was then interviewed by law enforcement and said that her teacher began grooming her in August 2022, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the Post Bulletin. The teenager said the sexual abuse occurred almost weekly earlier this year.
Schneeberger also allegedly sent nude images of herself to the girl.
“Sexual assault cases like this are always disturbing, especially when the victim is a juvenile,” the police department said in a statement provided to Rochester-based NBC/CW Plus affiliate KTTC. “RPD is dedicated to investigating sexual assaults and ensuring justice for survivors. Throughout the investigative process, we work carefully and compassionately to help ensure prosecution while supporting victims.”
“Up until yesterday, she was in a position of authority over children,” Senior Assistant Olmsted County Attorney Joseph Rosholt told District Judge Joseph Chase on Friday, according to the Post Bulletin. The state requested bail be set at $150,000; the judge settled on half that.
Schneeberger is being detained in the Olmsted County Adult Detention Center on $75,000 conditional bail with the condition that she has no contact with minors or hold a position of authority over children if and when she is released from jail.
Her next court appearance is currently slated for June 8.
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