'Truly appalling' conduct, 100-year sentence

Henry Culvyhouse, The Daily Independent, Ashland, Ky.

Oct. 18—ASHLAND — An Ohio man accused of essentially imprisoning three girls at a remote cabin in Elliott County and subjecting them to physical and sexual abuse was sentenced Monday to die in a federal prison.

Ronald Stinespring, 51, was sentenced to serve 100 years in prison by a federal judge, after pleading guilty in May to multiple child sex offenses, then tried to get one victim to take the heat for the case.

A recently filed court document shows Stinespring branded one of the victims for hatching a plan to sneak off the homestead by hiding in the trunk of a car.

In a news release, Carlton Shier IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, didn't mince any words

"The victims in this case suffered unspeakable mental, physical and sexual abuse," said Shier IV. "Even in the context of child exploitation and abuse, the conduct was remarkable. Three young people were extensively and callously abused, over the course of years. While his conduct was truly appalling, fortunately, the sentence he must now serve is also noteworthy. It is our hope that it will assist the victims in their recovery from the abuse, provide them with some measure of justice, and prevent him from ever endangering other young victims again."

Stinespring was arrested in March 2019 after one of the victims fled the clapboard home coated in mud and animal dung. The victim told Kentucky State Police she and her sisters had endured horrific physical abuse, including being shocked with a homemade TASER.

During a search of his home, police uncovered images depicting three victims in the nude.

Stinespring was originally from Cadiz, Ohio, where his wife was a school teacher, according to previous news reports. His wife, Ty Stinespring, was charged in Elliott County Circuit Court with complicity in the case — court records show she'd visit once a week and leave the minors at the cabin.

The century in prison — of which Stinespring would have to serve 85 years — is actually 20 years less than what the United States was seeking, according to court records.

However, it was 70 years more than the 30 his defense attorney, Michael Curtis, argued for in a sentencing memorandum.

(606) 326-2653 — henry@dailyindependent.com