The Weld County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) arrested 35-year-old Jacob Schmidt last week on suspicion of sexual exploitation of a child, which is a class 4 felony. The arrest comes as part of a series of investigations by the WSCO since February, when they received several tips from Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC), a national organization that receives tips with an intent to investigate and prosecute for internet crimes against children.
After a thorough investigation, detectives were led to Schmidt, and the Sheriff’s office arrested him on June 11. A Weld County judge has given Schmidt a $150,000 cash/surety bond. He is scheduled to appear in the Weld County courthouse on Tuesday, June 24 at 8:30 a.m.
“The scary part is, without people willing to do this work, there are so many more people who don’t get caught,” said WCSO Detective Sergeant Gerry Porter.
According to a press release by the WCSO, the sheriff’s office “will not hesitate to investigate and vigorously prosecute those that seek to prey upon, and exploit children online.” WSCO has not commented on other investigations related to tips from the ICAC.
Two other arrests were made by WCSO on June 12 for sexual exploitation of a child. One suspect was released with $0 bail and the other man was released on $25,000 bail.
