STOCKTON, Mo. (KY3) - A woman charged with ongoing abuse at the Circle of Hope Girls Ranch in Cedar County changed her plea to guilty.

A judge sentenced Stephanie Householder to five years of probation and 120 days of shock time after pleading guilty to six counts of abuse or neglect of a child and seven counts of endangering the welfare of a child. She received credit for time served in jail.

Boyd and Stephanie Householder/Vernon County Sheriff's Office (KY3)

Along with her husband Boyd, Stephanie Householder faced a combined 99 charges of abuse combined, including molestation and statutory rape related to their operation of the boarding school near Stockton. Boyd died in the Vernon County Jail in June of 2024.

Lawsuits against the Householders, filed by women who stayed at the ranc

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