A third Louisville Metro Police officer has been indicted on charges of sexually abusing a juvenile in the department's now-defunct Explorer Program for youths aspiring to be in law enforcement.
A federal grand jury indictment accuses Brad Schuhmann, while acting as a police officer, of sexually abusing a minor in 2010, saying he "willfully deprived a juvenile identified as Jane Doe of liberty without due process of law, which includes the right not to have her bodily integrity violated by a person acting under color of law."
The indictment's Jane Doe is the same former Explorer scout who accused Schuhmann in a 2017 lawsuit of sexually harassing and assaulting her, said Tad Thomas, one of the attorneys representing former scouts in a pending federal civil suit.
Court records indicate Schuhmann is to be arraigned Monday in U.S. District Court in Louisville. A change of plea hearing is also set for that day.
The single misdemeanor count of "deprivation of rights under color of law," a civil rights violation, is punishable by up to a year in prison.
Schuhmann's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Third LMPD officer indicted in Explorer Scout sex abuse investigation Matthew Glowicki Louisville Courier Journal A third Louisville Metro Police officer has been indicted on charges of sexually abusing a juvenile in the department's now-defunct Explorer Program for youths aspiring to be in law enforcement.
A federal grand jury indictment accuses Brad Schuhmann, while acting as a police officer, of sexually abusing a minor in 2010, saying he "willfully deprived a juvenile identified as Jane Doe of liberty without due process of law, which includes the right not to have her bodily integrity violated by a person acting under color of law."
The indictment's Jane Doe is the same former Explorer scout who accused Schuhmann in a 2017 lawsuit of sexually harassing and assaulting her, said Tad Thomas, one of the attorneys representing former scouts in a pending federal civil suit.
Court records indicate Schuhmann is to be arraigned Monday in U.S. District Court in Louisville. A change of plea hearing is also set for that day.
The single misdemeanor count of "deprivation of rights under color of law," a civil rights violation, is punishable by up to a year in prison.
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Delivery: Varies Your Email Schuhmann's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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LMPD spokesman Dwight Mitchell said Schuhmann resigned Nov. 3, the day of the indictment. He declined further comment.
U.S. District Court Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings unsealed the indictment Tuesday.
Schuhmann, who was the 2006 Explorer Scout of the Year and later became an adviser in the program, is the third person criminally charged in the scandal that rocked the police department.
More than a year has passed since former officers Kenneth Betts and Brandon Wood went to prison for abusing minors in the now-dissolved program for youth interested in becoming officers.
Betts was federally indicted in November 2018 and Wood in January 2019.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jo Lawless, who prosecuted the two officers, is handling the Schuhmann case.
In July of 2019, Betts was sentenced to 16 years on federal child pornography and enticement charges involving multiple victims. He also pleaded guilty to sodomy charges in state court.
Wood was sentenced last year to 70 months in prison for attempted enticement of a teen who he met through an Explorer camp in Bullitt County where Wood was a counselor.
Officials declined at the time to say if any further criminal charges would come from the Explorer investigation.
In September, as part of the ongoing civil suit, court papers showed there was an active grand jury investigation.
Sex abuse allegations connected to the program were publicly revealed in a 2017 lawsuit filed by a former scout. Lawsuits by other former scouts soon followed, one of which revealed the allegations against Schuhmann.
The suit alleged Schuhmann groped and sent sexual messages to a female scout, identified as B.L., between 2008 and 2009.
Schuhmann has denied the allegations in court papers and argues the statute of limitations has expired. The case is pending.
The Jefferson Commonwealth Attorneys Office declined to charge Schuhmann in 2019, his attorney told The Courier Journal at the time.
Office spokesman Jeff Cooke said last year his office was referred the case in early 2018 by the FBI Public Corruption Task Force, which investigated the Explorer scandal.
he "willfully deprived a juvenile identified as Jane Doe of liberty without due process of law, which includes the right not to have her bodily integrity violated by a person acting under color of law."
Is that like a Hella fancy way to say "a cop raped a person"?