A Shelby County grand jury indicted an Illinois man on 19 felony counts after prosecutors said he traveled to Shelby County to meet someone he believed was a young girl. Michael Herman Schuette, 41, was booked into the Shelby County Detention Center on Oct. 3 and was still listed in custody Sunday.
Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman and Commonwealth’s Attorney Hart Megibben announced the indictment Nov. 5. Schuette faces 14 counts of using electronic means to procure or promote the use of a minor and five counts of promoting human trafficking involving a person under 18. The indictment also alleges he qualifies as a first-degree persistent felony offender.
Prosecutors say Schuette communicated with the person more than a dozen times in September and October and offered money, a car and jewelry. WLKY, citing the arrest citation, reported that an undercover detective first contacted Schuette online and that officers arrested him in Shelbyville after he arrived for the planned meeting.
The Shelby County Detention Center’s roster also lists an open Illinois parole-violation warrant. WLKY reported that a judge raised his bond from $250,000 to $1 million. The Times could not independently verify the current bond or confirm his next court date.
Illinois State Police records show Schuette first registered as a sex offender on Jan. 31, 2007, and is required to register for life. Two days before that initial registration, he pleaded guilty in Madison County, Illinois, to possessing photos or film containing child sexual abuse material. The court docket shows he was sentenced to two years of probation. The registry lists Sept. 25, 2026, as his most recent registration.
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and Shelbyville Police Department worked on the investigation with the Kentucky attorney general’s investigators, police in Elizabethtown and Springfield, Illinois, and the U.S. Secret Service. Megibben’s office is prosecuting the case.
The Kentucky charges are allegations. Schuette is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.