SHENANDOAH - A Barnesville man charged with sexually assaulting a child for more than a decade waived his right to a preliminary hearing Thursday afternoon, the day of his 39th birthday.
State police Trooper Melissa Kyper charged Timothy R. Steward Jr., 161 Mogish St., with three felony counts each of involuntary deviate sexual assault and statutory sexual assault; one felony count each of unlawful contact with a minor and aggravated indecent assault; and three counts of indecent exposure and one count of corruption of minors, all misdemeanor offenses.
After appearing before Magisterial District Judge Anthony J. Kilker, Shenandoah, Steward was taken before Magisterial District Judge David A. Plachko, Port Carbon, where he waived his right to a hearing on one misdemeanor count each of indecent assault and corruption of minors stemming from a separate offense.
In the case before Kilker, Kyper charged Steward with incidents that occurred at several sites in Delano Township between Jan. 1, 2000, when the boy was 6 years old, and June 6, 2011, the year he turned 18.
Kyper said that during that time period, Steward photographed the boy naked on more than one occasion and started assaulting him when he was about 10.
The incidents, Kyper said, occurred in an old camper Steward owned that was parked near the Delano Park, and other places.
The boy told authorities that when he was younger, he was afraid of Steward because he was very big and that Steward would often tell him not to relate to anyone what was going on.
The trooper said as the investigation continued, Steward was interviewed and initially denied touching the boy or having child pornography.
However, when asked about the victim, Kyper said Steward admitted to the sexual activity and said it occurred 100 times over the years, adding that Steward said "I fell in love" with the boy.
In the case before Plachko, Trooper Edward Lizewski charged Steward with an Aug. 16, 2011, incident in the parking lot of Harbor Freight at Fairlane Village mall in Norwegian Township.
Lizewski said Steward, another man and two juvenile boys went to the Harbor Freight store where the other man and one of the boys entered the businesses to shop.
Steward and the other juvenile stayed in the vehicle in the parking lot where Steward assaulted him.
When confronted about these charges, Lizewski said Steward did not deny the allegations and said he fantasized about the boy, referring to his victim as a "cute boy" and said he "liked him."
Earlier this year, the Schuylkill County district attorney's office withdrew child pornography charges against Steward stemming from the investigation by Kyper clearing the way for federal authorities to prosecute him on that offense. He faces a felony child pornography charge, photographing, filming, depicting sexual acts involving children on a computer, Assistant District Attorney Jennifer N. Lehman said.
The original charges against Steward that were withdrawn included photographing, filming, depicting sexual acts involving children on a computer, contact or communication with a minor, design or obscene materials, corruption of minors and indecent exposure.
Lehman said federal officials will prosecute Steward on the computer child pornography while the commonwealth will proceed with charges directly related to the sexual assaults.