(Vernon, CT) - Craig P. Nowak, State’s Attorney for the Tolland Judicial District, today announced that Steven Lemieux, age 45, of the Rockville section of Vernon, pleaded guilty in Superior Court on August 14, 2026 to one count of Conspiracy to Commit Sexual Assault in the First Degree, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-70, one count of Sexual Assault in the First Degree, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-70, and one count of Trafficking in Persons, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-192a.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 23, 2026 at Superior Court in Rockville before The Honorable Judge Tejas Bhatt.
An investigation by the Vernon Police Department showed that beginning in 2012, the defendant and a co-defendant, both of whom were known to the then 7-year-old victim, conspired to commit sexual acts repeatedly upon the child while she slept. The defendant continued to sexually abuse the minor child on numerous occasions in various residences and hotels in the Vernon area with the co-defendant’s knowledge. Further investigation showed that in 2018, when the victim was 13, the defendant took her down a wooded trail in Vernon and compelled her to perform sexual acts on another adult male.
The victim 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. Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Emily Trudeau, who prosecuted the case, commends 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,” Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Trudeau said. Charges against the co-defendant are pending at Rockville Superior Court.
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.