A former Greenfield High School track and field coach has been charged after a student told a school resource officer he sexually assaulted her, according to a criminal complaint filed Oct. 23 in Milwaukee County Circuit Court.
Bennet Schmitz, 23, of Schofield, is charged with two counts of child enticement and one count of sexual assault of a student by school staff, all felonies. If convicted on all counts, he faces up to 56 years in prison and $210,000 in fines.
Greenfield Police Department and school district issue joint statement
In a joint statement, the School District of Greenfield and the Greenfield Police Department said on Oct. 20 Greenfield police arrested Schmitz in Schofield in connection with an alleged inappropriate relationship with a student-athlete that reportedly occurred in the spring of 2024.
“He has been criminally charged, and it remains an open criminal investigation,” the statement said.
The district said Schmitz worked as an assistant track coach during the 2022–23 and 2023–24 spring seasons. He is not a licensed educator and did not teach in the district. Schmitz also passed a background check prior to being hired. The district said it became aware of the situation after the student notified a staff member, who promptly reported it to administration and police.
“The District takes this situation with the utmost seriousness. Our primary focus remains on the safety and well-being of our students. Counselors are available to support any student or staff member who may need assistance.”
The district thanked school staff, the school resource officer and the Greenfield Police Detective Bureau, and said it will not issue further statements to protect the student’s privacy.
The student revealed Schmitz’s history of sexual abuse to her high school resource officer
According to the criminal complaint:
On Oct. 9, a 17-year-old student spoke to her school resource officer to disclose that she had been sexually assaulted by Schmitz beginning in 2024.
The student said Schmitz began calling and texting her during the spring 2023 track season and later became her supervisor when she started working at the Milwaukee Yard sports complex. The student said she tried to cease contact with Schmitz, but he threatened suicide.
Communications between the student and Schmitz started to become more sexual starting in March 2024. She told the resource officer she felt pressured to continue communicating with Schmitz due to being both her coach at school, her boss at her job and for his repeated threats of suicide if she stopped talking to him.
On multiple occasions at various locations, including Schmitz’s apartment in Franklin and hotels in the area, Schmitz and the student would have sexual contact. The student also said he convinced her to send him nude photos over Snapchat and he would respond by sending the student sexually explicit videos.
The student said she no longer had access to the photos or videos on her phone, but she still had their text messages, which allowed law enforcement to conduct a forensic download and analysis of her phone.
Text messages between the two spanned from March 2023 to October 2024 and became more sexual starting in March 2024. It was in that month that Schmitz called the student and told her he was in love with her.
The student told Schmitz the feeling was not mutual and that she wanted to establish boundaries and not spend time together outside of work or track practice, but messages revealed Schmitz told the student to meet up with him two days later.
During the discussion with her resource officer, the student said she went to Schmitz’s apartment for the first time in April 2024, where the sexual contact began. The student said they had sexual contact every time they went to the apartment. Messages showed this happened at least 20 times, with the student sleeping at his apartment on four occasions.
The student also identified one of the hotels in New Berlin and one in Franklin as locations where Schmitz took her for sexual contact. A hotel in Franklin confirmed that Schmitz rented a room at that location in July 2024.
Schmitz admitted the sexual abuse to police when questioned
During an interview between detectives and Schmitz on Oct. 20, Schmitz confirmed he was a Greenfield High School track and field coach during the springs of 2023 and 2024, but initially only admitted to kissing the student before admitting to the detective that he sent the student explicit videos and had sexual contact with the student.
Schmitz is scheduled for an initial appearance Oct. 28, according to online court records.
Adrienne Davis is a south suburban reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Got any tips or stories to share? Contact Adrienne at amdavis@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @AdriReportss.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Former Greenfield HS assistant track coach charged with sexual assault of a student
Reporting by Adrienne Davis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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