Co-Defendant In 'Horrific' Vernon Sex Trafficking Case Involving Young Girl Enters Plea

VERNON, CT — One of two defendants in a lengthy Vernon sexual trafficking case involving a young girl has entered a plea.

Tolland Judicial District State's Attorney Craig P. Nowak announced Monday that, Steven Lemieux, now 45, of the Rockville section of Vernon, entered a guilty plea in Rockville Superior Court on Aug. 14.

The plea was to one count of conspiracy to commit sexual assault in the first degree, one count of first-degree sexual assault and one count of trafficking in persons. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 23, in Rockville before Judge Tejas Bhatt.

An investigation by the Vernon Police Department showed that, beginning in 2012, Lemieux and Maria Steward (who was 37 when arrested in 2023), both of whom were known to the then-7-year-old victim, "conspired to commit sexual acts repeatedly" upon the child while she slept.

Lemieux continued to sexually abuse the child on numerous occasions in various residences and hotels and other locations in the Vernon area with Stewart's involvement, case and police records show.

Further investigation showed that in 2018, when the girl was 13, Lemieux took her down a wooded trail in Vernon and compelled her to perform sexual acts on another "adult male," according to case records.

The girl reported the abuse in February 2022, at which time a joint investigation began between the Vernon Police Department and an out-of-state law enforcement agency, case records show.

Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Emily Trudeau, who prosecuted the case, commended the victim for her "bravery" in reporting the "horrific abuses" committed by the defendants, saying she is "an inspiration to other survivors” of abuse.

"There is no doubt she would have been a compelling and powerful witness if this case had gone to trial. We at the State's Attorney's Office hope that the latest development in this case will help bring her some closure and we wish her nothing but success," Trudeau said.

Charges against Stewart, who is being held in a $350,000 bond, include first-degree sexual assault, risk of injury to a child and illegal sexual contact. She is listed as being on the trial list in the state judicial system database.

In March 2023, VPD detectives served a warrant to Stewart, who was located at the Exit 67 commuter lot in Vernon. Her arrests followed that of Lemieux. The warrant accuses her of not only allowing the continued sexual assaults to take place, but also eventually joining in with Lemieux.

Lemieux is described in warrants as the primary perpetrator in the assaults.

According to warrants for both Lemieux and Stewart, the case materialized in March 2022 when a girl identified as the victim told a state Department of Children and Families staff member that she had been sexually assaulted by Lemieux on multiple occasions when she was 7 to 14 years old. The girl said she previously lied during a previous investigation out of fear for family members' safety, according to warrants.

The girl told investigators that, after she moved out of town, she had become more comfortable about sharing details, according to warrants.

The assaults began with Lemieux touching the girl and Stewart allowing it to take place, according to warrants. The touching escalated to more serious sex acts, some forced, according to warrants. Stewart is accused of eventually joining in and even cutting off the underwear of the girl, according to warrants.

The assaults took place with alcohol and marijuana often given to the child, according to warrants.

Inspector John DiVenere assisted in the prosecution, along with Paralegal Specialist Jennifer McDermott, Detective Michael Anthony and other members of the Vernon Police Department, and Tracy Miller-Freeman of the Office of Victim Services.