News

Pa. Firefighter to Stand Trial for Having Sex With 15-year-old Explorer

Paul Peirce

12/19/2015

Dec. 18--The assistant chief of the New Florence Volunteer Fire Department will stand trial on charges he repeatedly had sex with a 15-year-old girl in the borough's junior fireman program in 2013.

Kenneth Eugene Steiner, 56, was accompanied by his wife to a preliminary hearing Friday before District Judge Denise Thiel.

The girl, now 17, testified about the alleged sexual relationship at length and in detail.

She told the judge she became pregnant to Steiner and suffered a miscarriage because of the stress of the secret relationship.

Police allege Steiner began exchanging text messages with the girl after accepting her application into the junior firefighter program, according to an affidavit of probable cause. The messages became sexual in nature, and on Sept. 28, 2013, Steiner allegedly invited the girl to "come to his house when everyone was asleep and meet him at the camper," the affidavit said.

Steiner is accused of sex acts with the girl that night. Steiner and the girl allegedly had sex in the home the next day, as well as on Oct. 6 and 13, 2013, the affidavit said. The affidavit also alleges that Steiner texted a photo of his penis to the girl, and the pair exchanged other sexually explicit photos.

Steiner was charged after investigation -- it included a search of his home in which a cellphone was seized -- by New Florence Borough Police and Westmoreland County Detectives. The search warrant was executed Nov. 22, 2013.

Steiner admitted that he sent a picture of his penis to the victim, but he denied they had sexual contact, the affidavit said.

He is charged with two counts each of statutory sexual assault of a person under the age of 16 and older than 11, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and indecent assault of a victim under 16, unlawful contact with a minor, corruption of a minor, disseminating explicit sexual material to a minor, and criminal use of a cellphone or computer.