May 26 – ROCHESTER – A former Pine Island Public Schools teacher has been sentenced to $75,000 bail or bail after the Rochester Police Department arrested her for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl at her home of the teacher in Rochester.
Lindsey Rose Schneeberger, 24, of Rochester appeared before District Judge Joseph Chase on Friday, May 26, 2023, on three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. The charges allege penetration.
Schneeberger was a former volleyball coach and PE teacher at Pine Island Middle School, where she met the teenager. The sexual assaults allegedly took place between March 1, 2023 and May 15, 2023.
Schneeberger was placed on leave March 6, 2023, due to an investigation, according to Pine Island Public School Superintendent Tamara Champa. Schneeberger resigned on March 16, 2023.
Champa declined to say what the Schneeberger investigation entailed, citing the need to speak with the district attorney.
“Whenever we have concerns about students, we will respond quickly, always, and always make sure students are at the forefront of every decision we make,” Champa said.
Schneeberger is currently employed by Byron Public Schools and the district learned of the charges today, according to a statement from Byron Public Schools Superintendent Mike Neubeck.
“There have been no allegations involving students at Byron Public Schools. Ms. Schneeberger is not expected to work and will not have access to any students. Further information regarding her employment is private personal data at this stage. There is nothing more important than the safety, security and well-being of our students and, although privacy laws do not allow us to discuss every step that has been taken, please understand that the District immediately responded to information received today. regarding this matter, you are urged to contact the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Department,” he wrote in a statement.
Olmsted County Senior Assistant District Attorney Joseph Rosholt asked the court for a $150,000 conditional bond, citing Schneeberger’s lack of community ties. She is from Wisconsin and faces losing her current job as a substitute teacher and could lose a job at Fed Ex after her audition on Friday.
Rosholt also pointed to Schneeberger’s abuse of authority and the strength of the state’s case against her.
“Until yesterday, she was in a position of authority over the children,” Rosholt told the court.
Schneeberger’s attorney, a public defender, requested a more reasonable bail, citing his lack of criminal history.
Chase eventually ordered that she be held on a conditional bail of $75,000, provided she had no unsupervised contact with minors and held no position of authority over minors.
If found guilty on all three counts, she faces a presumed prison sentence of 234 months.
Schneeberger earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Winona State University, and she was raised in central Wisconsin,
according to his profile on the school website
.
She was arrested yesterday by the RPD.
“Sexual assault cases like this are always troubling, especially when the victim is a minor. The RPD is dedicated to investigating sexual assaults and ensuring justice for survivors. Throughout the investigative process , we are working with care and compassion to help secure prosecutions while supporting victims,” Amanda Grayson, RPD Crime Prevention and Communications Coordinator, wrote in a statement.
Schneeberger’s next court appearance is scheduled for June 8, 2023.
According to the criminal complaint:
A family member reported to the RPD on May 15, 2023 that they found text messages between Schneeberger and the teenager that were concerning.
In an interview with law enforcement, the teenager said Schneeberger repeatedly sexually assaulted her, almost weekly for a time, after Schneeberger nursed her for several months from August 2022.
The sexual assaults began when the victim was 13 years old.
Schneeberger also allegedly sent nude pictures of herself to the teenager.