A Monona County sheriff’s deputy accused of inappropriately touching a young child has pleaded not guilty. 58-year-old Cydney Bartholomew is accused of having inappropriate sexual contact with a Missouri girl in her early teens between January 2003 and December 2004.

Bartholomew was arrested by agents from the Division of Criminal Investigation in December, after the DCI received information from a Missouri protective-services worker. He’s worked for the sheriff’s department more than 30 years, and remains free on his own recognizance.