Molestation suspect dies in car crash
Herald Staff Writer
MANATEE - A 60-year-old state probation officer facing trial next month on child fondling charges died Tuesday afternoon after his car smashed into a palm tree, authorities said.
R. Steven Quesenberry was traveling south along 75th Street West when his 1997 Chevrolet veered across the northbound lane and onto the east shoulder until it struck a palm tree, according to a report from the Florida Highway Patrol.
West Manatee firefighters, paramedics and troopers responded to the scene of the crash, which happened at 11:55 a.m. Tuesday. Quesenberry died at the scene, the report stated.
Quesenberry's body was taken to a medical examiner's office, and an autopsy will be done, according to FHP Lt. John Donovan. Troopers are continuing to investigate the cause of the crash.
In August, authorities arrested Quesenberry on felony child molestation charges, and said he sexually battered and fondled a child on two separate occasions at his Bradenton home during the mid-1990s.
He was released from the Manatee County jail on $50,000 bail under supervised release.
Mark Lipinski, the attorney representing Quesenberry in the case, said the charges will be dismissed because of his death. Formal charges filed by prosecutors Sept. 23 included three counts of handling/fondling a child under 16 in a lewd, lascivious or indecent manner - a second-degree felony.
Lipinski had filed a not guilty plea on Quesenberry's behalf, and a trial date was set for Dec. 20.
Quesenberry had been active in Manatee County for years, and was a member of Kiwanis International, Herald archives show.
He helped raised money for the United Way and worked on juvenile justice issues.
In the early 1990s, Quesenberry founded the non-profit Pros 'N' Cons for Kids program, which took troubled teenagers to prisons to scare them away from a life of crime. The organization is now defunct, according to corporate filings.
He was also active in lobbying to stop the state from releasing convicts early from the overcrowded prison system in the 1990s.
Lipinski said he had known Quesenberry before representing him.
Quesenberry was a probation officer for a long time and has worked in the courthouse, he said.
"He is loved by a lot of folks," Lipinski said. "I hope that people will have kind thoughts of him, and remember him in their prayers."
Sylvia Lim, criminal justice reporter, can be reached at 745-7041 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Herald staff writer Aimee Juarez contributed to this report.
