FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – A man and woman wanted in Fort Wayne for allegedly trafficking teen boys were caught Wednesday in Mexico.
Stephanie N. Followell, 41, and Kirk W. Depoister, 49, were arrested and taken to the Gateway International Port of Entry, where they were turned over to U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security investigators, according to a press release from the Fort Wayne Police Department.
FWPD said in the release the suspects were wanted for accusations of sexual abuse and exploitation in 2022 and they fled Allen County following a search warrant at their house on Oliver Street.
The pair allegedly coerced two teenage boys into having sex on camera, according to court documents in the case. The release from FWPD said Depoister threatened one teen with a baseball bat.
Followell faces a slew of preliminary charges, including:
Promotion of Human Sexual Trafficking, a Level 4 Felony
Possession Of Child Pornography, a Level 6 Felony
Sexual Misconduct With A Minor, a Level 4 Felony
Incest, a Level 5 felony
Sexual Misconduct With A Minor, a Level 5 Felony
Depoister faces preliminary charges of promotion of human sexual trafficking – a Level 4 felony – and child exploitation, a Level 5 felony.
FWPD was assisted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Fort Wayne, HSI Harlingen, HSI Matamoros, and Fiscalía General De Justicia Del Estado de Tamaulipas in Mexico.
The suspects were being held in a Texas jail Thursday.
