A Pottsville man entered a guilty plea Tuesday morning on two cases of sexual abuse against children.
Justin Stine, 41, admitted that he sexually abused two children over the course of years. He was accused of molesting a girl since she was 5 years old and until she was 9 years old. Stine also admitted to abusing a boy from before he was 12 years old. The boy told authorities that he and Stine were together a lot and that the sexual abuse happened a lot, according to the original affidavit filed by police in Pottsville.
Stine was charged by Pottsville Police in August 2024.
At a status conference hearing in Courtroom 1 at Schuylkill County Courthouse on Monday, Stine was present to enter his guilty plea. Numerous other defendants in other cases were in the courtroom as well. As Schuylkill County Judge Christina Hale read the charges against Stine, many of the defendants looked at him in a shock as he sat shackled in what is normally the jury box.
As part of the plea deal with the Schuylkill County District Attorney’s Office, Stine agreed to a sentence of 20-40 years in state prison. However, formal sentencing won’t happen for about 90 days, according to Hale.
The female victim first came forward in May 2024. At the time, she was 14 years old and told police of the abuse against her that started when she was 5 years old. She told police the abuse happened often over the course of about 5 years.
Initially, Stine denied the allegations when confronted by police. However, in a subsequent interview, he admitted to and detailed how he abused the girl.
In August 2024, a male victim came forward and also explained how Stine abused him numerous times.
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