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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A former fire official charged with enticing a minor over the Internet entered a plea of not guilty Thursday.
Dennis Steadman, 54, is charged with one count of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity. Two state charges against him in the case were dropped after the federal charge was filed.
A federal judge Thursday set his trial for May 18.
The judge also released Steadman on his own recognizance, but did order him to surrender his passport. He's also to have no unsupervised contact with minors, cannot log onto the Internet and must undergo a mental health evaluation.
Steadman was arrested Feb. 16 during an undercover operation after arranging to meet a 13-year-old girl, who was actually an undercover police officer with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
He has resigned as a battalion chief from the Unified Fire Authority.
(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
