Woman convicted of child neglect for allowing sex offender into Menasha day care
An Appleton woman was convicted Wednesday of three felonies for allowing a man on the sex offender registry into a child care center, and therefore around children, in Menasha.
Azucena Martinez, 27, pleaded no contest – meaning she accepted a guilty verdict without admitting or denying any guilt – in Calumet County Circuit Court to three counts of child neglect. She also was charged with intentionally identifying the sex offender by a different name, but it was dismissed.
A sentencing hearing is set for June 18.
According to a criminal complaint, Martinez allowed her boyfriend, Trevor Schutt, 30, of Shawano, to repeatedly visit Circle of Friends Learning Center while she was working there. The complaint said Martinez did this despite stating she knew Schutt was not supposed to have contact with children.
Witnesses said Schutt began visiting the center around December 2022, and video evidence showed Schutt interacting with toddlers at the center in mid-January 2023. Multiple witnesses said Schutt would wait to enter the center until the person in charge left for the day, the complaint says.
The complaint says that as someone responsible for the children's welfare, Martinez "negligently endangered the children" by allowing Schutt to visit the center even though she knew he was a registered sex offender. The complaints do not say the children were directly harmed.
A witness told police that Martinez told others Schutt’s name was John, according to criminal complaints.
More: A convicted sex offender has been charged with visiting Circle of Friends Learning Center
Martinez also pleaded no contest Wednesday to harboring or aiding a felon and being party to a crime to Schutt’s failure to update his address.
In connection with the visits to Circle of Friends Learning Center, Schutt is charged with felony bail jumping and using a name other than what he’s identified as on the sex offender registry.
In another Calumet County case, Schutt was charged in July 2023 with failing to update his information on the sex offender registry and felony bail jumping. Schutt will appear in Calumet County Circuit Court for a status conference on both cases May 23.
He also faces charges for two cases in Shawano County. In March 2021, Schutt was charged with over 60 counts of possession of child pornography. In May 2023, Schutt was charged with tampering with a GPS tracking device, a sex offender registry violation and three counts of felony bail jumping. He has a final pretrial hearing for those cases June 5.
Schutt is currently incarcerated at Redgranite Correctional Institution.
Schutt has been on the sex offender registry since he was convicted in 2012 in Shawano County for various charges related to having sexual relationships with two underage girls when he was 17 and 18. He served prison time for these charges.
Kelli Arseneau contributed to this report.
Madison Lammert covers child care and early education across Wisconsin as a Report for America corps member based at The Appleton Post-Crescent. To contact her, email mlammert@gannett.com or call 920-993-7108. Please consider supporting journalism that informs our democracy with a tax-deductible gift to Report for America by visiting postcrescent.com/RFA.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Appleton woman convicted of child neglect at Menasha day care
