Former 4-H Volunteer Pleads Not Guilty to Abuse

A former Jefferson County 4-H volunteer, accused of sexually abusing one of the kids in his program, pleaded not guilty to the charges Thursday. So did his daughter and her boyfriend, who face custodial interference charges

With both supporters and the family of his accuser in the courtroom, Steven Stoltz, 66, of Culver, walked up to face Circuit Judge Daniel Ahern.

“You’re charged on Count 1 with custodial interference in the second degree,” Ahern said. “Count 2 is a charge of sex abuse in the second degree. Counts 3, 4 and 5 are charges (of) sex abuse in the third degree.”

Stoltz was arrested on Dec. 30. Three months earlier, a young girl that was part of the 4H program came forward, accusing him of touching her inappropriately.

“We enter a plea of not guilty,” said defense attorney Susan Goolsbee,

His daughter, Savallah Stoltz, and her boyfriend, John Straight, are also accused of custodial interference, a charge that means they are accused of keeping the victim without her parent?s permission, but not using force to do so. They also entered not guilty pleas.

“Ms. Stoltz, I’ll give you the same court date, so we can keep the cases together,” the judge said.

All three are scheduled to appear in court again on Feb. 16.

Stoltz had been a volunteer with 4H for 13 years, helping kids with their animals. The organization let him go when they learned of the accusation in September.

Since, his arrest, detectives say they’ve been getting calls from a concerned public. Their investigation continues, but so far, they cannot confirm if there are any other victims.

Stoltz is not in jail, as he posted 10 percent of his $50,000 bail. His daughter and her boyfriend also posted bail on their charges and were released.