By Lisa Rosetta
The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake Tribune
A former United Fire Authority battalion chief - free until his trial on charges he solicited an underage girl for sex - may soon be back in jail, this time for shoplifting.
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Dennis Steadman tried to get a refund for a home electronics item he never paid for at a Murray Sears store April 18, said Murray police spokesman Rob Hall.
Steadman, who is facing a federal charge for allegedly making sexual overtures to an undercover officer posing as a 13-year-old girl, presented an old receipt with an item, worth less than $250, that he took off store shelves, police say.
Now, the 54-year-old is charged with retail theft, a class B misdemeanor punishable in state court by up to a 6 months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
On Wednesday, Steadman was summoned to appear May 9 at 9:30 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Samuel Alba for a hearing, during which his pre-trial release agreement may be revoked.
The agreement required him not to commit any criminal offenses.
In early March, Steadman, who has quit his job as a battalion chief, pleaded not guilty to enticing a minor over the Internet. He was arrested Feb. 16 when he arrived at a Salt Lake City location to meet a girl. The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigated Steadman about a month preceding his arrest after police received several complaints, the Utah Attorney General's Office has said.
If convicted on the sex crime, Steadman faces up to 30 years in federal prison.
lrosetta@sltrib.com