Co-owner of boarding school Mo. accused of child abuse must appear in court

STOCKTON, Mo. (KCTV) – The co-owner of a Missouri boarding school accused of dozens of child abuse crimes will appear in court.

The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests says Stephanie Householder, who previously led the Circle of Hope Girs Ranch in Humansville, Missouri, will appear in court on Thursday, October 17 as she faces nearly two dozen charges of child abuse and neglect. .

“She is Missouri’s most prolific female abuser,” said David Clohessy, volunteer director of SNAP in Missouri.

SNAP noted that Householder and her husband Boyd also worked at Agape Boarding School in Cedar County. Boyd, who had been charged with 79 similar charges, died in June after suffering cardiac arrest. Both facilities have now closed.

Court records show Householder’s arguments will begin at 12:30 a.m. Thursday at the Cedar County Courthouse in Stockton.

In September, Clohessy said a jury trial had previously been canceled because the Missouri attorney general’s office had reached a plea deal with Householder. She has been charged with human trafficking, involuntary servitude, brainwashing, defrauding parents, child sexual abuse, negligent hiring practices, negligent supervisory practices and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Court documents show nearly a dozen cases were filed against Circle of Hope Girls Ranch between 2020 and 2022.

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