John Schwarz appears before Manitowoc County Court via Zoom, October 13, 2023. PC: Fox 11 Online
MANITOWOC, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A haunted house owner was convicted Monday of sexually assaulting a teen who worked at his facility.
John Schwarz, 38, pleaded no contest to three counts: having sexual intercourse with a child under age 19, fourth-degree sexual assault; and causing mental harm to a child. The felony counts were dropped or reduced.
The state and defense agreed to a joint recommendation for five years on probation with a series of conditions. Sentencing is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
In court Monday, a prosecutor read a statement from a victim in the case. He said he has become a “shell of his former self” due to the trauma of the events and coping with the ongoing court process.
“Nobody deserves to go through the amount of pain I have endured,” the victim’s statement said, while asking for prison time.
Schwarz had operated Scare USA in Two Rivers. The website for it lists the attraction as closed.
During the investigation, it was determined Schwarz had sexual contact with a number of juveniles who volunteered and worked at the haunted house, dating back to 2014. An assistant district attorney previously said in court Schwarz would tell the victims no one would believe them if they reported the sexual contact.
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