Former president of Long Beach softball league headed to prison for molesting girls
The former president of the Long Beach Girls Softball League is headed to prison for 30 years for molesting young girls.
One of Jeremy Schmidt’s victims told him she regretted ever “trusting and loving you” after he pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful touching of a child.
In other letters victims and their families wrote, they said the 37-year-old Schmidt “deserved to spend his days in a place where he cannot hurt anyone else.”
In addition, the victims said they lived in fear of Schmidt.
Long Beach police arrested Schmidt on Aug. 9, 2019, after investigators received a complaint from a parent of one of the victims about Schmidt sexually assaulting their child during a visit.
After further investigation, authorities determined Schmidt had been sexually assaulting young girls for years, according to a release from the Harrison County District Attorney’s Office.
Judge Christopher Schmidt — no relation to the suspect — imposed the day-for-day sentence Monday.
“I’m convinced there are two categories of people that need protection in this country, in this society, what’s left of it, and that’s old people and children, the most vulnerable among us,” Judge Schmidt said prior to sentencing.
The same day of Jeremy Schmidt’s arrest in 2019, the softball league announced that he was no longer associated with the league.
In addition to the prison sentence, Jeremy Schmidt will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life his life.
“Crimes against children continue to be a priority of our office,” District Attorney Joel Smith said.
“The sentence handed down by Judge Schmidt demonstrates that criminals who betray the innocence and the trust of children will be held accountable,” Smith said. “We are thankful for the work of the Long Beach Police Department and are hopeful that the conviction and sentence today will help the victims and families as they move forward from this chapter in their lives.”
