Wright County, Missouri — A Christian County man is facing felony charges after allegedly using a jail-issued debit card that was loaded with the incorrect amount of money from the jail.
According to court documents filed this week, Bryce Schmidt (born 1980) was booked into Wright County Jail on an unrelated charge on January 24, 2024.
Schmidt was booked into jail with a $181.25 check from the Greene County Jail in his possession. Schmidt’s check was given to the Wright County Jail supervisor and credited to his jail account.
According to the probable statement, the jail supervisor incorrectly typed $1,851.25, resulting in an accidental addition of $1,670 to Schmidt’s account.
Schmidt spent approximately $50 while in custody, according to court records.
According to the statement, when Schmidt was released from custody four days later, a corrections officer issued him a debit card with the remaining balance of his account, $1,808.25.
The Wright County Jail supervisor discovered the error later that week while working on the jail’s bank deposit and reconciliations report. When the supervisor called the debit card company to stop payments, he was informed that Schmidt’s account balance had decreased to $0. He reported the incident to the jail administrator and law enforcement.
Schmidt was arrested by Wright County law enforcement in February 2025 on charges of stealing $750 or more, a class D felony, and fraudulent use of a credit/debit device, a class E felony.
Schmidt told the officer he shouldn’t be arrested because of a clerical error by law enforcement and admitted he knew about it and “spent the money,” according to the statement.
Schmidt was released from Wright County Jail after posting a $1,000 bond, according to court documents. If convicted, he could face up to seven years in prison and a $10,000 fine.