UNEXPECTED Max Schenzel sentenced to jail, probation in sleeping grandma theft case

Unexpected dad Max Schenzel finally received his sentencing after he pleaded guilty to stealing cash, a casino voucher, and two credit cards from the purse of his friend’s sleeping 77-year-old grandmother in June. The sentencing was delayed after Max’s attorney filed for a Rule 11 mental competency evaluation for Max in September, but it was later determined that Max was mentally competent to stand trial, and his guilty plea for felony theft would stand. (More details on the Rule 11 evaluation and motivation for filing here!)

On December 7, a Maricopa County Superior Court Judge sentenced Max to 30 months of probation, 3 months in jail, 150 hours of community restitution, and ordered that he pay more than $1,000 for victim restitution and fees.

Max’s sentencing is a bit unique in that his jail time has been delayed as a result of the prosecution’s concerns over him becoming a dad. “Based on this harm to the victim, the state seriously considered requesting initial jail time,” the pre-sentencing report reads. “Ultimately, though, the state believes it is more important that the defendant make quick and deliberate progress towards his financial obligations.”

The report continues by revealing the delayed jail sentence would also serve as a harsh reminder to Max as to the seriousness of the crime:

Ultimately, the state wishes to make the victim whole, and to provide supervision and support for the defendant as he adjusts to the demands adulthood will certainly place on him. The state believes a lengthy period of probation is warranted, given the substantial amount of restitution the defendant has agreed to pay and his other financial obligations. The state is not requesting a period of initial jail, but believes that some deferred jail, to be served upon completion of a year on probation, might provide additional motivation to see the defendant through and remind him that this is a serious, adult offense, and he is unlikely to receive a suspended sentence a second time.

It seems the judge agreed and sentenced Max to three months of jail time starting in May of 2019, with two days credit for time served.

The 77-year-old victim voiced disgruntlement over the plea deal that saw Max’s initial charges of felony burglary and felony credit card theft charges dropped to a single, lesser class 6 felony theft charge. “I was unhappy that the plea agreement reduced his charges significantly,” she said as part of the sentencing recommendation filing. She also requested that Max be ordered to repay the $642 that he stole (Roughly $545 in cash and a $95 casino voucher) in one lump sum, and she cited the fact that he was a paid cast member on Unexpected:

This young man was appearing on a reality show called UNEXPECTED, which is about teens who get pregnant. I am sure he was and perhaps continues to receive payment for airing out his dirty laundry on TV. With that in mind, I see no reason why I cannot receive the money he stole from me in a lump sum verses monthly payments. I strongly request that stipulation.

Once again, the judge agreed with the sentencing recommendation and ordered Max to repay his friend’s grandmother the full $642 by February 1, 2019.

As part of Max’s pre-sentence investigation, he was subjected to a state-accepted method of ascertaining risk and the potential benefits of intervention. “The Field Reassessment Offender Screening Tool (FROST) or Offender Screening Tool (OST) uses a detailed interview and scoring system to determine an offender’s risk to re-offend and identifies the risk factors (domains) of their life that would benefit from intervention,” explains the report. Max scored a 16, which falls within the medium to high risk range of 11-17, and borders on the high risk range of 18-42.

Areas where Max scored the worst include Mental Health (1/2), Criminal Behavior (6/9), Vocational/Financial (4/5), and Drug Abuse (3/3).

Here are some excerpts from the risk factors highlighted in the report:

Has been convicted of a violent offense (See below)

Is currently unemployed and has been sporadically employed over the past three years

Was terminated from a recent job as a result of his arrest for the present offense

Reports he is supporting himself from his savings but is unable to meet his financial obligations

Uses illegal prescription medication

Has previously used marijuana

Reports he recently completed a substance abuse program but does not feel it was beneficial

The risk assessment mentions that Max had previously been convicted of a violent offense, but our prior research into his criminal past only turned up a charge of trespassing in September of 2017. Our failure to turn up the “violent offense” looks to be because it was committed while Max was still a juvenile. In the sentencing recommendation, the prosecutor reveals: “The defendant has no adult criminal history, although it does appear he has a juvenile history that includes adjudication for armed robbery.”

In the same document, the prosecution talks at length about the fact that Max appeared on Unexpected. Also referenced is the fact that he is currently not allowed to see or communicate with Chloe Mendoza outside of texts about their daughter Ava because of an injunction against harassment, which we were the first to report on back in October:

If you are curious whether or not Max and Chloe are still together, it is our understanding that they are. Because Chloe is still a minor, they are obligated to honor the injunction against harassment filed by her mother Jessica until she turns 18. But, it appears the young couple is willing to be patient.

Although TLC has yet to officially confirm an Unexpected Season 3, they have issued casting calls and multiple cast members have seemingly confirmed another season. Laura Barron revealed that she and husband Tylor Strawmyer were the only cast members not asked to come back, while Emiley Noack stated that she was invited back but everyone was waiting to see if her ex Diego Reyes would agree or not.

If Emiley was correct about the entire cast being invited back, then I cannot imagine Chloe and Max not agreeing to do it. The only hindrance I could see is the fact that Chloe is still a minor and her mother Jessica has been quite vocal about how producers didn’t exactly do her any favors with how the series was edited.

So which Unexpected cast members are you mist excited to see come back for another season?

Asa Hawks is a writer and editor for Starcasm. You can contact Asa via Twitter, Facebook, or email at starcasmtips(at)yahoo.com