The Liberty Township man convicted late last year of telling his girlfriend to molest a Chesterton boy and then record the molestation has been sentenced to 54 years in the Indiana Department of Correction (DOC).

On Monday, Ryan Roy Schroeder, 27, was sentenced, so to speak, in three batches:

•Schroeder was sentenced to 45 years on each of five counts of aiding in child molesting, a Class A felony punishable by a term of 20 to 50 years. Porter Circuit Court Judge Mary Harper ordered Schroeder to serve those five terms concurrently.

•Schroeder was sentenced as well to six years on each of eight counts of aiding in child exploitation, a Class C felony punishable by a term of two to eight years. He is to serve those eight terms concurrently.

•In addition, Schroeder was sentenced to three years on each of seven counts of possession of child pornography, to three years on a single count of theft, and to two years on each of two counts of aiding in voyeurism. He is likewise to serve those 10 counts concurrently.

But Harper also ordered Schroeder to serve those three “batches” consecutively, meaning that after serving the 45 year-term, he will then serve the six-year term, and then finally the three-year term, for a total of 54 years in prison.

Although DOC inmates are typically eligible for release after serving one-half of their sentences, because Harper found Schroeder to be a “credit-restricted felon,” he must serve at least 85 percent of the 45-year term to which he was sentenced for aiding in child molesting.

Schroeder is entitled to credit for 378 days already served in the Porter County Jail pending the disposition of his case.

In her sentencing order, Harper made note of five aggravating factors:

•The “effect upon the victim’s family.” The mother of the Chesterton boy, Harper wrote, “was significantly mentally damaged and indicated that will remain with her forever.”

•The “tender age of the children.”

•Schroeder’s criminal history, although Harper added that “This is a minor factor.”

•The “position of trust that Mr. Schroeder’s accomplice, Tara Tryon, held with the victims and their families.” Schroeder specifically “encouraged the creation of the baby-sitting relationship for purposes of obtaining access to the children,” Harper wrote in her order.

•The “position of trust that Adrienne Holly Harris” held with the young child whom she similarly photographed at Schroeder’s behest.

•Schroeder “had ample time to reflect upon the serious and wrongful nature of this conduct, yet continued to repeat it,” Harper wrote. “In fact, the conduct was the result of a complicated scheme set in motion by (Schroeder) as part of his plan to obtain the library of child pornography found in his possession.”

Meanwhile, Schroeder’s accomplice, Tara Tryon, 22, of Wanatah—who testified against him at trial—is herself facing five counts of child molesting in Porter Superior Court. The Indiana State Police began its investigation in October 2011, when investigators came into possession of 39 images and two videos of a woman later identified as Tryon.

According to the ISP, Tryon and Schroeder started dating in January 2010 after meeting at a Chesterton restaurant and at some point thereafter Schroeder “pressured” Tryon to take pictures of a Chesterton boy whom she was baby-sitting. Schroeder “wanted her to begin with the boy as he was younger and wouldn’t talk,” the ISP said. “He would specifically state what he wanted to see (Tryon) do.”

Multiple images of child pornography were found on Schroeder’s external hard drive in his barracks in Florida, where he was stationed as a sailor in the U.S. Navy.

Another sailor, stationed in Virginia, Adriane Holley Harris, also testified at trial that she recorded nude images of a young girl and texted those images to Schroeder at his behest. Harris, who met Schroeder at basic training at Great Lakes, Ill., is now serving a 25-year term in federal prison.