Colorado city IT worker sent to prison for stealing videos from police department's evidence

A former employee with the City of Greeley's Information Technology Department was sentenced Wednesday to 14 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections after he removed hard drives from the Greeley Police Department. 

The hard drives contained child sexual abuse material, also known as CSAM, which Jacob Schmidt downloaded to his phone, according to a press release from the Weld County District Attorney's Office. The videos were police department evidence which Schmidt was not authorized to access. 

Schmidt was arrested on June 11, 2025, after investigators with the Weld County Sheriff's Office received several tips about Schmidt having CSAM on his phone, according to the DA's press release. Those investigators were able to determine Schmidt obtained the videos by taking the hard drives four months earlier. 

Schmidt pleaded guilty in March to two counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Child. 

"The exploitation of children is one of the gravest offenses our office prosecutes," Chief Deputy District Attorney Arynn Clark said. "Every image of child sexual abuse material represents the continued victimization of a child, and we won't tolerate this type of cruel behavior in Weld County. We hope this sentence reassures our community that crimes involving the exploitation of children will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

CBS Colorado reached out to the Greeley Police Department to inquire about potential changes to its evidence security and has not yet received a response.