Silly the clown serves serious time

Ronald Schroeder, 38, was sentenced to six years in prison, nine months of jail time in the Waukesha County Jail, and 12 years of extended supervision by Waukesha County Circuit Judge J. Mac Davis.

Schroeder was found guilty in March of 2 felony counts of sexual assault of an unconscious victim, 27 counts of capturing an image of nudity, domestic abuse, and misdemeanor counts of battery and illegally accessing computer data. The 9-month jail term was for the misdemeanor battery conviction against Schroeder involving the woman, who was his live-in girlfriend.

Extended supervision is always served after a prison sentence. Conditions of extended supervision Judge Davis imposed include registering as a sex offender and getting the court’s permission to date women. Violation of extended supervision makes the offender subject to more prison time.

Before Davis meted out his sentence, Schroeder apologized and asked the court to show mercy.
"I've made some grave mistakes in 2007, and I've had a year to reflect on them. I live with tremendous regret for the pain I've caused those who I love. This has been a learning experience which has made me into a better person. When you hand down your sentence, I humbly ask that you be merciful," Schroeder told the judge.

Schroeder victimized the now 21-year-old woman after she passed out after a night of drinking, prosecutors said.

The woman, who met Schroeder when she was 19 and later moved in with him, testified during the trial that she learned of the sexual assault only after she went to police to report that Schroeder had injured her during a domestic dispute and investigators later found nude photos of her on his computer.

Schroeder, who performed professionally as Silly the Clown, was charged in May after the woman reported the battery incident on April 29. In subsequent interviews, Brookfield police asked the woman if Schroeder had ever taken nude photos of her. When she replied he did, police obtained a search warrant and seized Schroeder's computers.

Before Davis meted out his sentence, Schroeder apologized and asked the court to show mercy.
"I've made some grave mistakes in 2007, and I've had a year to reflect on them. I live with tremendous regret for the pain I've caused those who I love. This has been a learning experience which has made me into a better person. When you hand down your sentence, I humbly ask that you be merciful," Schroeder told the judge.

Child porn was also found on the computer, but those charges were dismissed and read into the record for sentencing purposes. Schroeder was a suspect in the still unsolved murder of his baby daughter back in 1991, but because authorities have been unable to find cause to arrest and charge Schroeder for the death, it was not a factor in sentencing.