St. Lawrence County Sherriff’s Sgt. Brooks Bigwarfe said Thursday that Nicole Vaisey admitted she and her
boyfriend, Stephen Howells Jr., lured the 7-year-old and 12-year-old sisters to their car with an offer
to pet a dog and then Howells shoved them in.

Bigwarfe said she told him they shackled the girls and intended to turn them into slaves, but released
them about 24 hours later after hearing news reports of the kidnapping.

District Attorney Mary Rain said the children were sexually abused by the "sexual predators."

Fowler Justice Paul Lamson ruled Thursday there’s reasonable cause to believe Vaisey committed felony
kidnapping. He ordered her held without bail.

Howells, who also is jailed, waived his right to a hearing.

Defense attorney Bradford Riendeau said Vaisey was Howells’ slave.

"She was in a master-slave relationship," Riendeau said. "I believe she’s not as culpable
as he is."

The girls’ kidnappings touched off a massive search in the Amish family’s remote farming community.
Searchers scoured the community of about 4,000 people but were hampered by a lack of photos of the
girls.

The Amish typically avoid modern technology, and the family had to work with an artist who spoke their
language, a German dialect known as Pennsylvania Dutch, to produce a sketch of the older girl.

The parents, who have 14 children, did not express anger toward the suspects.

The girls’ father said Thursday at his farm that they seemed to be doing well.

The family’s farm stand was open again.