ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A woman accused along with her boyfriend of abducting and sexually abusing two young Amish sisters is due in court for a preliminary hearing.
Nicole Vaisey will be in court on Thursday. Her lawyer says she's a victim of an abusive relationship with 39-year-old Stephen Howells Jr.
Howells waived his right to a similar hearing. His case will go to a grand jury in St. Lawrence County near the Canadian border.
The couple is in jail without bail. They were arrested and arraigned Friday, accused of abducting the 7-year-old and 12-year-old sisters from the family's rural farm stand.
The sisters turned up the next night at a house 15 miles from their home.
The Associated Press generally does not identify victims of sexual abuse and is not naming the girls.
