Watch CBS News

Trial Date Set For Couple Accused Of Kidnapping Amish Girls

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) - A December trial date has been set for the northern New York couple charged in the kidnapping two Amish girls from their family's roadside stand last summer.

Local media report that a federal magistrate on Tuesday scheduled the trial to begin Dec. 15 in Syracuse.

Prosecutors say 25-year-old Nicole Vaisey and her boyfriend, 37-year-old Stephen Howells, are charged with sexually exploiting three children between September 2013 and August 2014 and Howells is additionally charged with six counts involving four children at other times.

The charges against the couple from Hermon in St. Lawrence County include kidnapping and sexually abuse charges stemming from the August abduction of 7- and 12-year-old Amish girls from their family farm stand in rural Oswegatchie, near the Canadian border.

The girls were set free by the couple the next day.

You Might Also Be Interested In:

(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.