Former choir director pleads not guilty

A former choir director accused of molesting a teenage girl in Costa Mesa pleaded not guilty Monday, prosecutors said.

Albert Lee Schildknecht, 56, led the choir at St. Timothy Roman Catholic Church in San Juan Capistrano. He was accused of molesting the girl in 1995 when she was 16, authorities said.

Authorities began investigating in May when the alleged victim, now 28, contacted Orange County sheriff’s deputies. Investigators decided the alleged crimes exceeded the statute of limitations and dropped the case.

But Costa Mesa police arrested him June 29 in Fountain Valley after deciding the alleged event that occurred in Costa Mesa fell within the statute of limitations for prosecution.

— Kelly Strodl