A former Webster City school board member who’se charged with child molestation will serve no time in jail under the ruling Wednesday in Hamilton County District Court.
Sixty-five-year-old Paul S. Stenger entered an Alford plea on June 1st to an amended charge of lascivious conduct with a minor, a serious misdemeanor.
An Alford plea is a guilty plea in criminal court, whereby a defendant in a criminal case does not admit to the criminal act and asserts innocence.
District court judge Paul Ahlers issued a deferred judgment on the charge. Stenger will face two years of probation with the Iowa Department of Corrections and will be required to register as a sex offender.
He was also assessed a civil penalty of $315 and was ordered to pay restitution of $459.31, along with other fees and court costs. In addition, a no-contact order was also issued for the victim and will remain in place until August, 2022.
A second charge of sexual abuse in the second degree was dismissed.
Stenger, who was arrested by Webster City Police last December, had been elected to the Webster City Community School Board in September of 2015. He resigned from the board after his arrest.
By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City