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Hermon kidnappers of Amish sisters sentenced to combined total of nearly 900 years in federal prison

Posted 12/17/15

HERMON -- The Hermon couple who pleaded guilty to sexually abusing children, filming the abuse and sharing it online were today sentenced combined to nearly 900 years in federal prison. Stephen M. …

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Hermon kidnappers of Amish sisters sentenced to combined total of nearly 900 years in federal prison

Posted

HERMON -- The Hermon couple who pleaded guilty to sexually abusing children, filming the abuse and sharing it online were today sentenced combined to nearly 900 years in federal prison.

Stephen M. Howells, II, 40, was sentenced to serve 580 years in prison in connection with his sexual exploitation of six children, including two Amish sisters from Heuvelton he abducted with his girlfriend, Nicole F. Vaisey, 26, also of Hermon, from a roadside vegetable stand on August 13, 2014.

Vaisey was also sentenced today to serve 300 years in prison for her role in the offenses, including her participation in the sexual exploitation of four of the children.

The court also ordered the forfeiture of property used by the defendants in the commission of these crimes, including two cars, a computer and five hard drives, a camera and two smartphones, U.S. Attorney Richard Hartunian said.

On May 8th, Howells pleaded guilty to 21 federal charges, including conspiracy to sexually exploit minors, 15 counts of sexual exploitation of children involving six victims and five counts of possession of child pornography.

Six days later, Vaisey pleaded guilty to conspiracy to sexually exploit minors, as well as nine counts of sexual exploitation of children involving four victims.

From Sept. 2013 through Aug. 15, 2014, Howells and Vaisey conspired to sexually exploit children for the purpose of producing videos and pictures of the conduct, Hartunian said.

Howells used his position as a registered nurse at Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center to obtain drugs to administer to the six children to sedate them. On at least 16 dates specified in the indictment, Howells sexually abused six young girls, ages 5 to 11, sometimes with Vaisey also doing so, as Howells or Vaisey filmed that abuse, Hartunian said.

Howells and Vaisey made arrangements with close friends and family to spend time with four of the children, and then betrayed their trust, according to Hartunian. Howells and Vaisey also developed, planned, and carried out a scheme to abduct children to sexually abuse them.

On Aug. 13, 2014, they kidnapped two Amish children from their family’s roadside farm stand by pretending to be customers. Howells forced the children into the car and Vaisey drove off. The two children were restrained as captives in Howells’s and Vaisey’s home until they were released in a remote location the next night. A manhunt and investigation resulted in the arrests of Howells and Vaisey and searches helped uncover the other child sexual abuse, Hartunian said.

“Today’s sentencing is a culmination of an investigation into the unspeakable crimes committed against innocent victims within St. Lawrence County. The St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office has worked towards this conclusion in a cooperative investigative effort with our federal, state and local partners,” said St. Lawrence County Sheriff Kevin Wells.

“The sentences imposed today are a reflection of the monstrous crimes committed by Howells and Vaisey against the most vulnerable among us and our children. Howells and Vaisey will never be able to abduct, drug, and sexually abuse children again,” Hartunian said.

“The unspeakable acts against innocent children committed by Howells and Vaisey represent some of the most heinous and evil crimes ever committed in Troop B. It was through the collective efforts of all law enforcement agencies working tirelessly that these two depraved individuals will be brought to justice and will never pose a threat to our children and our communities again,” said New York State Police Major Charles Guess, Troop B commander.

This case was investigated by FBI, the St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office and the New York State Police, and was prosecuted by assistant U.S. attorneys Lisa M. Fletcher, Tamara Thomson and Steven D. Clymer.