Former equestrian center owners plead guilty to sexual assault charges

Austin and Todd Sabb-Visga both pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a child in their custody during a hearing Monday.

Both men pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, each punishable with a mandatory minimum of 25 years and up to life in prison.

During their hearings, both defendants admitted they had raped a child in their custody multiple times. Court records in the federal cases against the defendants allude to the existence of at least two other victims. As part of the plea agreement, both defendants will not face additional charges for crimes discovered during the investigation.

St. Clair County Assistant Prosecutor Ashley Stone said the state would seek consecutive sentences against both men, meaning they could face a minimum of 50 years in prison if the court agrees.

The plea deals are similar to agreements rejected by both defendants in December due to the potentially long prison sentences involved. At the time defense attorney Brian Thomas, who represents Todd, said 50 years would be a "death sentence" for someone at his client's age.

The deal comes days after Austin, 30, reached a plea deal in a federal case filed against him.

Austin and Todd, 48, lived together in Kimball Township and owned Smith's Creek Equestrian Center with foster children when, in June 2023, they were arrested.

An investigation by Michigan State Police found the two had been sexually abusing the children and had recorded themselves in the act, planning to distribute the videos as child pornography.

A plea deal has yet to be announced in Todd's federal case.

The couple are scheduled to be sentenced at 1:30 p.m. June 24 by Circuit Court Judge Michael West.

Contact Johnathan Hogan at jhogan@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Former equestrian center owners plead guilty to sexual assault charges