Van Buren County couple charged with child abuse and sexual abuse

Booking photos of Jesse Stone (left) and Stephanie Stone (right) released by the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office.

PINE GROVE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — Two people who lived at an address with a daycare center have been charged with child abuse, officials say.

On June 29, the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office received information from the LaGrange County Sheriff’s Office in Indiana regarding sexual and physical child abuse near Gobles. The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office then executed a search warrant for a home on M-40 near 1st Avenue in Pine Grove Township.

Jesse Stone, 46, and Stephanie Stone, 38, were arrested and charged with multiple counts of child molestation. Jesse Stone was also charged with sexual abuse. His bail was set at $750,000 and Stephanie Stone is being held on $100,000 bail.

According to the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office, there was a daycare at the home, but officials do not believe any children who attended the daycare were abused. The investigation is ongoing.

In a Report from January 2022 from the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, the address was registered to Little Cubs Childcare and Stephanie Stone was listed as the licensee. Jesse Stone was listed as an employee.