HASTINGS, Minn. - A 41-year-old man here has been charged with sexually assaulting a 9-month-old girl.
Michael Frederick Schmidt faces one felony count of criminal sexual conduct in the first degree for the April 24 incident.
He made his first court appearance May 6 and remains in the Dakota County Jail. Bail was set at $200,000. His next court appearance is scheduled for 9 a.m. June 14.
According to the criminal complaint, the girl was brought into the emergency room at Regina Medical Center with injuries to her vaginal and anal area. Due to the severity of the injuries, she was transported by ambulance to St. Paul Children's Hospital for surgery.
Schmidt told medical personnel he and his wife were babysitting the child at their home in Hastings and he was changing the baby's diaper. He said the girl appeared to be rolling off the couch, so he grabbed her to keep her from falling. He said he "had a hangnail on one of his fingers that perhaps cut her." He told his wife what happened and because of the bleeding, which did not lessen, they drove to the emergency room.
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Doctors told the parents and police that the "nature and extent of the injury is highly inconsistent with Schmidt's explanation of how it was caused."
Hastings Police arrested Schmidt at about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday. He was charged the following day.
The Hastings Star-Gazette and the Herald are owned by Forum Communications Co.
