Saline County Prosecuting Attorney Chris Walton allows a sexual abuser escape punishment and exposes names of his minor victims in court filings

Why is the Saline County Prosecuting Attorney a pedo supporter?

Citizens in Saline County are outraged that their Prosecuting Attorney, Thomas Christopher Walton (a father of two daughters himself) allowed Timothy Andrew Steppach, owner of Tim's Tavern to receive no punishment for his sex crimes towards minors working at his restaurant.

On October 31, 2023 a complaint was made to the Benton Police Department about sexual assaults involving three female minors (ages 14, 15 and 16) working  at Tim's Tavern at 1209 Edison Avenue. The suspect was the owner of the restaurant, Timothy Steppach (46 years old at that time).

The complaint was made by the then wife of Steppach, Debra Katie Roberts (age 22 years at the time) to Benton PD cop Zachery Wisenor.

Minor female employees told her that Steppach had groped them and asked them questions about their sexual experience. They stated that they were uncomfortable being around him and his touching them was unwanted.

Benton cops interviewed the female minors and they told about incidents of Steppach touching their breasts and bottoms. He also made inappropriate comments to them of a sexual nature and would try an kiss them.

One of the minor employees stated that she had poured draft beer, delivered it to customers and processed payments for the beverages - a violation of Arkansas law. She also stated that Steppach had never paid her for her employment (more on that later in the story). 

On November 2, 2023, Debra Katie Roberts-Steppach filed for divorce.

Debra Katie Roberts was 22 years old when she married a 45 year old Steppach on July 8, 2023.

Benton cops attempted to interview Steppach, but he refused saying he would need to speak with his attorney about that.

A criminal file was completed and submitted to the prosecutor’s office on November 30, 2023.

  

On January 25, 2024, Benton PD cops arrested Steppach and booked him into the Saline County Detention Center.

Mugshot of Timothy Steppach

Steppach was charged with two felony counts of sexual assault and one misdemeanor count of sexual assault. 

Steppach was released on a $5,000.00 bond.

On January 30, 2024, Benton PD received an email from Steppach's estranged wife. She found messages from November 17, 2021 sent to her by a former tavern employee (a minor at that time) that detailed incidents of sexual abuse by Steppach in 2019. 

Also in February 2024, additional information came out from one of the victims. She told Benton PD that when she worked for Steppach in 2023, he had come to her home to pick her up for work. Steppach entered her home when she went to get her phone charger. He closed the door and took her phone. When she tried to get it from him to call her mother, he pinned her against the wall and started kissing her and put his hand in her pants and rubbed her vagina. Steppach only stopped, despite her protesting and hitting him, when he heard a car door shut and she told him that was her mother. Steppach fled the scene.

 

Another warrant for Steppach's arrest was obtained. He was charged with assault, rape, residential burglary, false imprisonment, interference with emergency communication. Steppach was arrested again on February 28, 2024.

Due to the felony charges, the case was transferred to Circuit Court and a hearing was set for December 9, 2024 in Saline County Circuit Court, Division 2.

On May 1, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor filed a lawsuit in federal court against Steppach for numerous violations of federal laws. 

Steppach failed to pay minimum and overtime wages as required, kept workers’ tips, employed children illegally and fired a worker who warned that the department would be notified. Steppach allowed several 14 and 15-year-old children to work outside legally permitted hours on school nights and weekends. Investigators also learned that — as far back as August 2022 — Steppach had failed to provide regular paychecks; did not pay minimum wage, overtime and tips as required; and neglected to keep records, all of which violated the Fair Labor Standards Act. 

On June 19, 2024, three weeks before their first wedding anniversary, Debra Roberts-Steppach was granted a divorce from Steppach.

On July 19, 2024, the mother of one of Steppach's victims filed a lawsuit against him, his estranged wife and his business.

At the December 9th, 2024 hearing, a review hearing was set for February 10, 2025. 

At the February 10, 2025 hearing, the case was set for a two-day jury trial on July 22-24, 2025.

On June 5, 2025, a Consent Judgment and Order was filed in the federal lawsuit against Steppach.

Steppach was ordered to not keep tips received by employees, pay employees the minimum hourly wage according to federal laws, not have any employees work more that 40 hours a week unless they were compensated with overtime wages. Steppach was also ordered to maintain accurate records of each person he employed keeping and preserving records of hours worked and waged paid. Additionally, he was ordered to not employ any individual under the age of 16 years.

Finally, the court ordered Steppach to pay four former employees a total of $3,750 in wages and tips he illegally kept from August 1, 2022 through February 3, 2024. And another former employee was also to received $3,750 herself, for no-wage compensatory damages.

Steppach was fined $32,903.82 for hiring minors under 16, but since he consented and agreed to the order the fine was reduce to $0. 

On July 8, 2025,  two weeks before the scheduled trial, the prosecuting attorney sent out twenty subpoenas including three to the minor victims of Steppach. Their names were not redacted.

On July 15, 2025, Steppach filed a motion to sever offenses and hold a separate trial for two of the Sexual Assault in the Second Degree charges as they occurred at different location and at different times and had different allegation of assault.

On July 17, 2025, Steppach's attorney filed a motion to be relieved as counsel and it was granted by the court on July 18, 2025.

On July 22, 2025, the trial was reset for December 2-4, 2025 due to Steppach's attorney dumping him.

Steppach secured a new attorney on October 8, 2025 and he filed a motion for discovery.

On October 9, 2025, the attorney representing Steppach in the civil court case  filed by the mother of a victim dumped Steppach. 

Steppach refused to provide responses to discovery and the court issued an order directing him to provide responses to interrogatories and requests for production of documents within seven days. 

Steppach and his former attorney failed to comply with that order, and court records do not reflect that he has a new attorney representing him. The Plaintiff filed a motion on November 20, 2025 for default judgment. 

Back in the criminal case, the Prosecuting Attorney filed a motion on October 16, 2025 to have names of minors redacted on subpoenas he filed on that same day for the December trial. The court granted that order.

However, the subpoenas he issued to them and filed for record back on July 8, 2025, are still viewable by the public on the ARCourts website and their unredacted names were still viewable at the time of publication as the October 16, 2025 court order did not apply to the earlier subpoenas.

On November 19, 2025, a No Contest Plea Statement form was filed by Steppach.

In it, he stated he was pleading guilty to 2 counts of endangering the welfare of a minor in the 2nd Degree, both Class A misdemeanor charges. 

Steppach agreed t0 12 months probation. a $1000 fine and $150 in court costs. Steppach was to have no contact with the minors he sexually abused and would have no unsupervised contact with any minors under 18.

The prosecuting attorney gave him a sweetheart deal and said fuck you to his victims.

A "no contest" plea, or nolo contendere, is when a criminal defendant doesn't admit guilt but agrees to accept the punishment as if they were guilty, often to avoid admission of fault in a related civil lawsuit, though it still results in a conviction in the criminal case. It's a strategic choice, allowing a quick resolution without the public admission of guilt, but the conviction usually carries real consequences like jail, fines, and a criminal record. 

On November 20, 2025, a sentencing order was filed.  

On December 1, 2025, Steppach's conditions of probation were filed.

Since the case was closed, protests have occurred in front of Tim's Tavern.

One of the minor victims went live on Facebook and spoke about the matter.

On December 8, 2025 we contacted the Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Control Agency and filed a complaint and Steppach and Tim's Tavern. His actions fall under the required "good moral character" requirement for all alcoholic beverage permit holders in Arkansas. And his probation conditions could keep him out of his business for the next year.  Benton PD should have reported him after the minors involved told them that they sold beer and served it to customers.

The Prosecuting Attorney, Christopher Walton, failed to obtain justice for the minor females that were sexually assaulted by Timothy Steppach. 

He has disgraced his office and should step down.

Unfortunately, Walton has no opponent running against him, effectively saying fuck you to all of Saline County. 

###

Steppach posted this on Facebook.

Steppach was not found innocent of any charges of sexual abuse. Prosecuting Attorneys do not interview suspects, that is the function of the police department and he refused to speak with Benton PD about the allegations.

Steppach is a narcissistic groomer that is attracted to underaged females. It's clear from the statements his victims made to Benton PD he is a sexual offender of minors. 

The sidewalk in front of Tim's Tavern is public property. Protestors can stand there and document his customers (take their photographs, make video recordings and take photos of their vehicle and license plate numbers). There are services you can subscribe to that will let you run those license plates and identify vehicle owners.