Fort Wayne couple accused of trafficking teens found in Mexico

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – A man and woman wanted in Fort Wayne for allegedly trafficking teenagers were arrested 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, Border Protection and Security investigators interior, according to a news release from the Fort Wayne Police Department.

The FWPD said in the release that the suspects were wanted on sexual abuse and exploitation charges in 2022 and fled Allen County following a search warrant at their home. Oliver Street.

The two men allegedly forced two teenage boys to have sex on camera, according to court documents related to the case. The FWPD statement said Depoister threatened a teen with a baseball bat.

Followell faces a series of preliminary charges, including:

• Promoting human sex 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 crime
• Sexual misconduct with a minor, a level 5 felony

Depoister faces preliminary charges of promoting human sex trafficking – a Level 4 felony – and child exploitation, a Level 5 felony.

The FWPD was assisted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Fort Wayne, HSI Harlingen, HSI Matamoros and Fiscalía General De Justicia Del Estado de Tamaulipas, Mexico.

The suspects were being held in a Texas jail Thursday.