2022 trial set for Pam Schield

A jury trial for Pamela J. Schield, 61, of Medford has been set for March 28, 2022.

Schield waived her preliminary hearing Monday morning to charges related to alleged sexual contact with a then-17-year-old student who was enrolled in the Medford Area Public School District’s Alternative High School program.

The contact is alleged to have occurred in April and May 2017. At the time, the defendant, Pamela J. Schield of Medford, was coordinator of the Taylor County Literacy Council and had up until December 2016 been a substitute teacher with the Alternative High School program. The two programs utilize adjoining spaces in the Taylor County Education Center.

In May 2020, district attorney Kristi Tlusty filed a criminal complaint charging Schield with the following counts:

_ Exposing a child to harmful material -- a Class I felony carrying a penalty of up to three years, six months in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.

_ Child enticement — A Class D felony carrying a penalty of up to 25 years in prison and up to $100,000 in fines.

_ Sexual assault of a child by a person who works or volunteers with children — A Class H felony carrying a penalty of up to six years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.

_ Sexual intercourse with a child age 16 or older —A Class A misdemeanor carrying a penalty of up to nine months in jail and up to a $10,000 fine.

According to the criminal complaint, Schield and the victim allegedly had been in a relationship and that she had sent inappropriate pictures of herself to him on a social media platform as well as having sexual contact. Schield has entered a plea of not guilty to the charges. A five-day jury trial is scheduled to begin on March 28, 2022 at 8:30 a.m. A final pre-trial is scheduled for March 18, 2022 at 9 a.m.