Kentucky Indicts Illinois Sex Offender on 19 Felony Counts; Bond Raised to $1 Million
Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman and Commonwealth's Attorney Hart Megibben announced on November 5 that joint action by their offices resulted in the indictment of a 41-year-old Illinois man on felony charges related to crimes against children.
A Shelby County grand jury indicted Michael Schuette on 14 counts of procuring or promoting the use of a minor by electronic means (Class B felony) and five counts of promoting human trafficking with a victim under 18 (Class B felony); he was also indicted as a first-degree persistent felony offender. According to the indictment, Schuette used a communication device on more than a dozen occasions between September and October 2026 to contact someone he believed was a young girl, and traveled from Illinois to Shelby County intending to meet the child. He promised the child money, a car and jewelry, including a promise ring. Schuette is a registrant on the Illinois sex offender registry.
On Thursday afternoon, a judge increased Schuette's bond from $250,000 to $1,000,000. The investigation and arrest were the result of cooperation among the Attorney General's Department of Criminal Investigations, the Shelby County Sheriff's Office, the Shelbyville and Elizabethtown police departments, the Springfield, Illinois Police Department, and the United States Secret Service. Commonwealth's Attorney Megibben, who serves Anderson, Shelby, and Spencer counties, will prosecute the case along with Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Zach Becker.
The Attorney General's Office notes that the charges in an indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
(Source: Kentucky Attorney General's Office)
Source: Kentucky Attorney General's Office
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于 Frankfort 的肯塔基州议会大厦与花钟。Mhsheikholeslami 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The Kentucky State Capitol and floral clock in Frankfort. Photo by Mhsheikholeslami, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
