GRAFTON, N.D. -- A Grafton man who sexually assaulted a young boy has been ordered to serve more than 20 years in prison after facing a possible life sentence.
Adam Lee Schnellbach, 32, was sentenced Thursday in Walsh County District Court, where he initially was charged with four counts of gross sexual imposition, all Class AA felonies, and three counts of promoting a sexual performance by a minor. He entered Alford pleas -- he doesn’t admit guilt but agrees prosecutors have enough evidence to convict him in court -- to two gross sexual imposition charges and a felony charge of promoting sexual performance by a minor. Proseuctors dropped the remaining charges after he signed a plea agreement.
Court documents say the charges stem from an Oct. 13, 2015, incident, which a 4-year-old child told his mother he was sexually assaulted. Schnellbach also took lewd picture of an 8-year-old boy, according to the Walsh County Sheriff’s Department.
The judge ordered Schnellbach to serve consecutive sentences on the most serious charges, but suspended a large portion of both. In total, Schnellbach was ordered to serve 22 years in prison, minus more than 22 months of time served.
