The former Ripon High School boys basketball coach has been convicted for sexually assaulting a student.
Court records show that 32-year-old Mihai Schnell-Harrison was present inside a Fond du Lac County courtroom yesterday (September 15th) for his plea hearing.
Schnell-Harrison was facing seven felony charges stemming from his encounters with a minor Ripon student.
At yesterday’s hearing, the 32-year-old was convicted due to no contest pleas on charges of Sexual Assault of a Student by School Staff, Exposing Genitals to a Child, Causing Mental Harm to a Child, and Child Abuse – Intentionally Causing Harm.
However, charges of Possession of Child Pornography, Exposing a Child to Harmful Material, and Child Enticement – Sexual Contact were dismissed but read into the record.
This conviction comes as a change in the case for the former basketball coach, as he previously rejected a plea deal offered to him in July and was scheduled to stand trial in October.
It was reported that while he was the head coach of the Ripon boys’ basketball team, he exchanged nude photos with an underage Ripon student.
He and the minor then met up in the high school parking lot, where they engaged in sexual contact.
Following an investigation into the matter by the Ripon Police Department, he was arrested in November of last year.
Schnell-Harrison will return to court to be sentenced on December 19th.
