Wellsville man accepts plea deal on charge of secretly viewing teen girl

Booking photo for Juan Schallenberger (Courtesy: Cache County Jail).

LOGAN — A 21-year-old Wellsville man has admitted to secretly viewing a young girl dressing years ago when he was a teenager. Juan C. Schallenberger accepted a plea deal, agreeing to seek counseling and treatment instead of a jail sentence.

Schallenberger appeared in 1st District Court Thursday afternoon. He pleaded guilty to one count of voyeurism, amended to a class B misdemeanor. As part of the agreement, prosecutors dropped four felony counts of sex abuse of a child.

According to a released affidavit, the victim, who is now 17-years-old, told investigators how she was molested by the suspect multiple times when she was younger. She described how the first time, the suspect touched her inappropriately while the two were in the back seat of a vehicle. Later, he allegedly molested her other times at her home and in her backyard. On one occasion, she also described catching him, looking in her window while she was changing clothes.

The victim confronted Schallenberger during that time. He claimed he was trying to find a stray pet. He later moved to Illinois.

After interviewing the victim, Cache County Sheriff’s detectives contacted police in Mahomet, Illinois. They questioned Schallenberger, who later admitted to each of the allegations.

During Thursday’s court appearance, Cache County Deputy Attorney Dane Murray said this was a hard case for everyone involved. He explained how Schallenberger was approximately 13-years-old at the time of the offense. The crime wasn’t reported until earlier this year.

As part of the negotiated settlement, Schallenberger’s plea will be held in abeyance, under the condition that he undergo a psycho-sexual evaluation. He also agreed to continue receiving any recommended therapy.

Murray told the court that he had spoken with the victim, who was in agreement with the terms of the settlement.

Judge Brian Cannell told Schallenberger that he expected the defendant to continue counseling and treatment so there aren’t any further issues.


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