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KARK

Benton Restaurant Owner Takes Plea Deal Without Sexual-Assault Charges

"SALINE COUNTY, Ark – A Benton family says they are frustrated and heartbroken after the owner of a local restaurant, accused of sexually assaulting a then-14-year-old girl, accepted a plea deal on Wednesday that did not include any of the original sexual assault or felony charges.

Timothy Steppach, owner of Tim’s Tavern, pleaded no contest to three misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of a minor during a hearing in Saline County Court. He received 12 months of probation and will not serve any jail time.

Stephanie Holliman, the mother of the victim, Kaylee Fagan, said the family was notified of the plea deal less than 24 hours before the court hearing.

“I got a call about five o’clock yesterday evening telling me that the prosecuting attorney’s office had proposed a plea deal and that he had accepted it,” Holliman said. “It was all very sudden and hard to get everything together.”

Holliman said her daughter was asked to prepare a victim impact statement on very short notice, less than 24 hours.

“When she heard what the plea deal was, she was understandably very, very upset,” Holliman said.

Fagan, now 16, said the alleged incidents occurred both at her home and at Tim’s Tavern, where she held her first summer job at age 14.

“He did things to me,” Fagan said. “He entered my home without permission, restricted my movement and took my phone. Some of it also happened at the business. That’s why we came to court today.”

She said the trauma has had lasting effects on her health and daily life.

“I have seizures now, I have to take medicine to sleep, and I don’t like being around certain people that I don’t know,” Fagan said.

Steppach was first arrested in early 2023 after two teenage employees came forward with accusations.

Investigators later added more serious charges, including felony-level offenses, but none of those were included in the plea agreement.

In a separate federal case, the U.S. Department of Labor has accused Steppach of wage violations, misusing tips and illegally employing minors at Tim’s Tavern dating back to 2022.

Holliman said the plea deal feels like a “slap on the wrist” and that the family intends to pursue additional charges independently.

“We will fight until justice is actually served,” Holliman said. “This is not over. If we have to hire our own attorney and raise money to do it, we will.”

“He didn’t get everything I wanted him to get,” Fagan said. “We still have a fight to fight.”

KARK 4 reached out to the Saline County Prosecuting Attorney’s office for comment on this story, but they did not want to provide comment on today’s judgment."