The upstate New York couple who kidnapped and sexually abused two Amish girls on August 2014, were sentenced by the state court to 25 years in prison on state kidnapping charges.
CNN reports on Tuesday, Stephen M. Howells II, 40, and Nicole Vaisey, 26, appeared separately before St. Lawrence County judge Jerome Richards. The court sentenced each to a maximum of 25 years in prison on two counts of kidnapping. This sentence will run concurrently with their federal prison terms. In December, the federal court sentenced Howells to 580 years in prison, and Vaisey to 300 years. District Attorney Mary Rain told the court that the couple "targeted the most vulnerable members of our community." Prosecutors are convinced Howells and Vaisey should never leave prison.
According to the police, Howells and Vaisey kidnapped two Amish girls, then 5 and 11, from their family's roadside vegetable stand outside their farm near Heuvelton in August 2014. The couple lured the sisters with a puppy named "Kaleidoscope", and asked them if they wanted to pet it. The older girl got suspicious and Howell pushed them both into the back of his car and took them to his Hermon home. There, he and Vaisey held the sisters captive for 24 hours. They were handcuffed together, shackled to a bed, drugged, and sexually abused. Both Howells and Vaisey took photos and videos of the girls in sexual acts. The abduction immediately prompted an Amber Alert, a massive manhunt, and extensive media coverage. The couple panicked and decided it was risky to keep the girls longer and released them near Richville the next day.
CNN media affiliate, WWNY, reports that information from the older girl led the authorities to the couple's Hermon home, where they found computers with photos and videos showing the abuse of the young Amish girls.
In May, the couple pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to sexually exploit minors. Howells admitted guilt to sexually abusing six children, aged 5-11. He was charged with 15 counts of sexual exploitation of children and 5 counts of possession of child pornography. According to authorities, Howells used his position as a registered nurse to get drugs to sedate the children. Vaisey was charged with 9 counts of sexual exploitation of children.
According to CNY Central, Bradford C. Riendau, Vaisey's attorney revealed that the couple had a sadomasochistic relationship. Vaisey found Howell in a website and offered to be his slave. When asked whether his client was voluntary in the relationship, Riendau said it's "a complicated question" and that she was a woman who needed affection. DA Rain believes that Vaisey was not an innocent victim and that her claim that she was also a victim is "hogwash". Rain adds that "this was a well thought-out and planned crime." She credits the exceptional work of the sheriff's department, their efficient response, and skilled techniques in tracking down the couple. Because Howells and Vaisey pleaded guilty, the Amish sisters did not need to testify in court.
