HUMANSVILLE (MO)
KCTV CBS 5 [Kansas City, MO]
October 16, 2024
By Sarah Motter
The co-owner of a Missouri boarding school who was accused of dozens of child abuse crimes is set to appear in court.
The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests says that on Thursday, Oct. 17, Stephanie Householder, who previously ran the Circle of Hope Girs Ranch in Humansville, Missouri, will appear in court as she faces nearly two dozen charges of child abuse and neglect.
“She’s Missouri’s most prolific female abuser,” said David Clohessy, Missouri volunteer director of SNAP.
SNAP noted that Householder and her husband Boyd also worked at Agape Boarding School in Cedar County. Boyd, who had been charged on 79 similar counts, died in June following cardiac arrest. Both facilities have since been shuttered.
Also Read: Agape Boarding School announces it will close Jan. 20
Court records indicated that Householder’s plea setting is set to begin at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday in the Cedar County Courthouse in Stockton.
In September, Clohessy said a jury trial had previously been canceled as the Missouri Attorney General’s Office struck a plea deal with Householder. She has been accused of trafficking, involuntary servitude, brainwashing, defrauding parents, child sexual abuse, negligent hiring practices, negligent supervising practices and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Court documents revealed nearly a dozen cases filed against Circle of Hope Girls Ranch between 2020 and 2022.
Read More: Agape Boarding School sued in death of former student