Michigan daycare owners arrested on multiple child abuse and sexual assault charges: police

Jesse Stone, 46, and Stephanie Stone, 38, of Gobles, were taken into custody on Saturday after the Van Buren County Sheriff's Department executed a search warrant at the couple's residence.

Police said deputies with the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office were contacted by a deputy from the LaGrange County Sheriff's Office in Indiana on June 29, regarding child sexual abuse and physical abuse occurring in their jurisdiction. LaGrange County provided detailed information related to the abuse, and Van Buren County deputies with the assistance of CPS gathered enough information to arrest the Stones.

"A search warrant was drafted for the residence, which has an in-home daycare. It is not believed any children who attend the daycare portion of the home were being abused, but we are continuing to investigate this matter further," said the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office.

Authorities have not yet released details about the alleged abuse, or information about the children involved.

Photo source: Van Buren County Sheriff's Office

Jesse Stone has been charged with two counts of first-degree criminal sex conduct, two counts of second-degree criminal sex conduct, two counts of second-degree child abuse, four counts of felony firearm possession, two counts of third-degree child abuse, and one count of domestic violence, according to court documents. He is being held on a $750,000 cash bail.

Stephanie Stone has been charged with one count of second-degree child abuse and two counts of third-degree child abuse, court records show. Her bond has been set at $100,000. Authorities said they were also investigating child neglect allegations. The couple operated "Little Cubs Daycare" inside a portion of their residence located in the 1000 block of M-40 Highway. The door to the daycare now has a sign on it reading "closed until further notice."

A grandmother of two kids who went to the daycare told News Channel 3: "This is quite a shock to all of us, with the charges that are put in front of them. My daughter did have the hard conversation with both the children last night."

She said that both kids claimed they were never touched inappropriately, although the older of the two kids said Stephanie was mean.

When her grandchild went to stop a baby from eating diaper rash cream, Stephanie "snapped at her, grabbed her shoulders, and shooed her off," the grandmother said. Jessie and Stephanie Stone are scheduled to appear in court for a probable cause hearing on July 17.

“Our hope is that we can find out if there are any additional victims because there is a daycare there and so that we can try to bring some closure to those victims if they’re out there,” Captain Charon said of the case.