Incarcerated man is charged with felony lewd conduct with a child
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IDAHO FALLS – An incarcerated man appeared in court Tuesday to face a new charge of felony lewd conduct with a child.
Michael R. Schwindt, 34, received the new charge after a woman contacted the Bingham County Sheriff’s Office to report that her child had been sexually assaulted by Schwindt prior to 2016.
At the time of the new allegation, Schwindt was in prison serving time for a 2016 conviction of lewd conduct with a child.
The victim, a minor, alleged the abuse occurred at a gas station in Bonneville County while Schwindt was with the victim in his work truck between August and September 2014. The victim also said the abuse happened in Utah over a period of eight months in 2015.
The investigation was forwarded to the Bonneville County Sheriff’s office and the Salt Lake City Police Department due to where the alleged crimes occurred.
A sheriff’s deputy met with Schwindt while he was in custody at the Idaho Department of Correction to interview him about the new allegations of lewd conduct. When asked if he knew why the detective was there, Schwindt replied that he “had a pretty good idea” and that he “had done something he probably shouldn’t have done” in reference to the victim.
Schwindt told the deputy that he had no recollection of any abuse happening at the gas station in his work truck, but the Utah allegations were “most likely correct and accurate”.
If convicted, Schwindt could serve a life sentence and have to pay a $50,000 compensatory fine and restitution.