AUGUSTA — A New Hampshire couple remained behind bars Monday in Kennebec County, accused of sexually assaulting the woman’s young children when they lived in Oakland, Maine, earlier this year.
Stephen R. Smith, 37, and Sarah Conway, 26, both of Canaan, New Hampshire, were arrested Wednesday and brought to the Kennebec County jail.
Smith faces three counts of unlawful sexual contact, two counts of visual sexual aggression against a child, and one count of sexual misconduct with a child under 14. He is being held in lieu of $50,000 cash bail.
Conway is charged with two counts each of sexual misconduct with a child under 14 and endangering the welfare of a child. A judge in Kennebec County set Conway’s bail on Friday at $25,000 cash or $75,000 worth of property. The judge also required a Maine Pretrial Services contract.
The two were seen for initial appearances at the Capital Judicial Center via video from the jail.
Arrest affidavits filed in the court indicate that Conway went to the police in Canaan, New Hampshire, Sept. 16 and spoke to Sgt. Ryan Porter, saying that Smith was her ex-fiance and that they used to watch child pornography together when they had apartments in Oakland, Maine, from December 2014 to March 2015. According to Porter, Smith told her he had sexually abused his own children and talked her into sexually abusing her children.
According to the affidavit by Oakland Police Department Detective Capt. Rick Stubbert, Porter told him that “Sarah thought she did this because she liked Stephen so much and she didn’t know how to say no.”
Conway told police the sexual contact occurred in Oakland.
After Conway talked to the New Hampshire officer, Porter said Smith agreed to go to the Canaan Police Department to be interviewed. There, according to Porter, Smith confirmed what Conway had said and indicated he touched the genitals of the two children and had them touch his and that sometimes it occurred in the bath and in the bed with Conway.
He also told the Canaan officer that he wanted to be incarcerated in New Hampshire rather than Maine.
According to Stubbert’s affidavit, the children, who were interviewed as part of the investigation, were placed with the New Hampshire child services department.
Stubbert said Porter submitted interviews, medical records and reports to support the charges against Smith and Conway.
Arrest warrants for Smith and Conway were issued Oct. 30 by Maine Superior Court Justice Robert Mullen.
Betty Adams — 621-5631
Twitter: @betadams
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