Additional Search Begins in Connection with Disappearance of William and Lorraine Currier

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Vermont State Police, and Essex Police Department today began a search of a Casella Waste Management site in Coventry, Vermont. The search is connected to a coordinated investigation into the disappearance of William and Lorraine Currier and is a follow-up to a search conducted April 12 and 13 at a location on Route 15 in Essex, Vermont. The search is expected to take from one to three weeks.

No further comment will be made at this time.

West Topsham Man Arraigned for Possession of Child Pornography

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that on February 16, 2012, Foster E. Phelps, 38, of West Topsham, Vermont, pleaded not guilty in United States District Court to a single-count indictment charging him with possessing images of child pornography. Magistrate Judge John M. Conroy ordered Phelps released to the supervision of the United States Probation Office. Phelps’ will be subject to electronic monitoring and was ordered to have no contact with minors under the age of 18.

According to court records, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other law enforcement agencies executed a search warrant at Phelps’ West Topsham residence on February 2, 2012. While executing the warrant, agents found multiple images of children under the age of 18 engaged in sexually explicit conduct. If convicted, Phelps faces a maximum prison sentence of 10 years. United States Attorney Tristram J. Coffin emphasized that the charges contained in the indictment are accusations only and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty.

United States Attorney Coffin commended the efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Vermont State Police for their work in this case. The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Timothy C. Doherty, Jr. The defendant is represented by David McColgin from the Federal Public Defender’s Office.

The United States Attorney noted that this prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Projectsafechildhood.gov.

Kenneth L. Miller Arrested for Aiding International Parental Kidnapping

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Kenneth L. Miller, 46, of Stuarts Draft, Virginia, surrendered today to face charges stemming from his role in the international parental kidnapping by Lisa Miller of a child who has been the subject of a dispute of parental rights in Rutland, Vermont family court since 2004.

According to the complaint unsealed today, Kenneth L. Miller contacted associates in Nicaragua and Canada to request their support for Lisa Miller as she fled the United States with the daughter she shared with her civil union partner in 2009. The complaint alleges that at Kenneth Miller’s direction, the individuals purchased plane tickets for Lisa Miller and her child to fly from Canada to Nicaragua, and transported Miller and her child from a hotel in Canada to the airport for her flights. The complaint further indicates that Kenneth Miller maintained contact with two cellular telephones that appeared to travel from Virginia to Canada in advance of Lisa Miller’s departure from Canada. A grand jury has previously returned an indictment charging Lisa Miller with international parental kidnapping.

The United States Attorney emphasizes that the charges contained in the complaint are merely accusations and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty. If he is convicted, Kenneth Miller faces a maximum possible sentence of up to three years in prison; however, the actual sentence in the event of a conviction will be determined in accordance with the federal sentencing guidelines and the sentencing factors of 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a). Mr. Miller is represented by Dennis Boyle of Boyle, Autry, and Murphy, Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, and local counsel Brooks G. McArthur of Jarvis, McArthur and Williams.

The United States Attorney commended the U.S. Marshals Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for their hard work on this matter.