Man gets prison for child sexual abuse

COEUR d’ALENE — A man who sexually abused a child will spend up to 20 years behind bars.

Matthew M. Schug, 37, of Spirit Lake, pleaded guilty in January to lewd conduct with a minor, a felony punishable by up to life in prison.

First District Judge Barbara Duggan sentenced Schug this week to 20 years in prison, with 10 years fixed and 10 years indeterminate, as well as credit for time served.

That means Schug will be eligible for parole in about a decade.

Charging documents indicate that Schug pleaded guilty to having “oral-genital and/or manual-genital” contact with a 13-year-old girl.

Schug reportedly admitted he first had sexual contact with the child when she was 10 years old.

Duggan reportedly rejected Schug’s explanations for his conduct, acknowledging that a 37-year-old adult cannot have a consensual sexual relationship with a child.

Kootenai County Prosecuting Attorney Barry McHugh commended the investigative work of the Spirit Lake Police Department, as well as Criminal Chief Laura McClinton, who prosecuted the case.

McHugh described the offense as aggravated, because of the position of trust Schug had over the child victim and the way he manipulated her.

“Schug held himself out as a religious man, but betrayed those beliefs by preying on a vulnerable child,” McHugh said. “The damage inflicted on the child and her family will likely cause lifelong trauma and the circumstances support the judge’s sentence.”