Cloverdale man, 70, pleads guilty to four child-molesting counts

A 70-year-old Cloverdale man could be looking at spending the rest of his life behind bars after pleading guilty Thursday to four felony counts of child molesting.

Daniel C. Stevens appeared before Special Judge Blaine Akers in Putnam Circuit Court Thursday in a change-of-plea hearing in which he pleaded guilty to all charges against him -- two counts of child molesting as a Level 1 felony and two counts of the same crime as a Level 4 felony.

Level 1 felonies carry a 20- to 40-year sentence, while Level 4 felonies are punishable by 2-12 years. Under the new Indiana criminal code, Stevens would have to serve 75 percent of his sentence in prison.

However, by terms of the plea agreement, Stevens' initial sentence shall be capped at 20 years, Putnam County Prosecutor Tim Bookwalter said.

The plea deal also requires Steven to register as a sex offender and finds him a sexually violent predator under Indiana code.

No sentencing date has been set for Stevens, who was arrested Feb. 24 for sexual violations related to a 12-year-old girl known to the family.

The investigation began last Jan. 14 when the Putnam County Department of Child Services was notified of alleged sexual improprieties. Court documents note that the child notified her school counselor of the incidents, reporting that the alleged sexual misconduct had occurred "more than 10 times."

Varying degrees of sexual contact had taken place, court records show.

The girl also said, according to court documents, that Stevens had told her "it is OK" and he was "allowed to do it."

When Stevens was brought to the Indiana State Police Putnamville Post for an interview, he initially told investigators he is no longer capable of sexual intercourse, but then admitted to some level of sexual contact with the girl.

Represented by Greencastle attorney James Holder, Stevens was returned to the Putnam County Jail to await sentencing. That is expected to occur within the next 30 days.