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GREENFIELD, Wis. - A former Greenfield High School coach has been sentenced to prison for sexually assaulting a student in 2024.
Prison sentence
In court:
The Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office charged Bennet Schmitz, 24, with sexual assault of a student by school staff and two counts of child enticement. Court records show he pleaded guilty to sexual assault and one child enticement count, and the other child enticement count was dismissed as part of a plea deal, in July.
Milwaukee County Judge David Swanson sentenced Schmitz to one year in prison and six years of extended supervision. The judge also ordered Schmitz to register as a sex offender for life.
Bennet Schmitz (Sept. 30, 2026; Wisconsin DOC photo)
Criminal investigation
The backstory:
In October 2025, court filings said a Greenfield High School student told a school resource officer that Schmitz, a former track and field coach, sexually assaulted them. Schmitz was an assistant coach during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 spring track seasons. According to a criminal complaint, the victim said Schmitz started regularly calling and texting them during the 2023 season, and messages between them spanned from March 2023 through October 2024.
Timeline:
In June 2023, court filings said Schmitz sent the victim numerous text messages about how much he loved (the victim) and feared losing (the victim) because (the victim) did not "need" him the way that he needed (the victim). The victim said Schmitz threatened to end his own life if they stopped talking to one another.
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The victim told police that their conversations became more sexual in nature starting in March 2024, the complaint said. They started having sexual contact at Schmitz's apartment, as well as two hotels, in April 2024.
In May 2024, court filings said Schmitz drove to the victim's house and waited there until the victim came home. The victim said they felt pressured to keep talking to Schmitz because he was the victim's coach at school and boss at their workplace, as well as his repeated threats to take his own life.
Greenfield High School
Schmitz moved to Schofield during the summer of 2024, the complaint said. Court filings said he repeatedly threatened to take his own life, tried to get the victim to travel to Wausau to visit him and offered to drive down, pick the victim up and bring the victim back to Wausau with him.
What they're saying:
Schmitz was arrested on Oct. 20, 2025. The complaint said he told investigators the victim came to his apartment during the high school track season roughly once a week. He admitted to sending inappropriate videos of himself to the victim and to having sexual contact with the victim.
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The Source: Information in this story is from the Greenfield Police Department, Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office and Wisconsin Circuit Court.