A North Carolina dad and daughter who allegedly had plans for marriage after having a baby boy were arraigned only felony incest on Tuesday in a Virginia courtroom.
New York Post reports that Steven Pladl, 42, and his 20-year-old daughter, Katie Pladl, appeared in a Henrico County to face incest charges at the Henrico Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court. They were extradited from their North Carolina home and taken to Virginia to face the charges, since the alleged crimes took place when they lived in Henrico County. They were arrested last month on January 27 in Knightville, N.C.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Katie Pladl was adopted in 1988. When she turned 18, she started searching for her biological parents. In August 2016, after finding them through social media, she moved in with her biological mother and father, and their two children, ages 6 and 11, in Henrico, Va. Three months later, Katie’s biological mother moved out of the home, but Katie continued to live with the father, Steven Pladl.
The biological mother told police that shortly after Katie moved in, Steven Pladl started sleeping in the floor of the teen’s bedroom. In May 2017, Katie and her father moved to Knightdale, N.C. Around the same time, the wife read one of her children’s journals that indicated Katie was pregnant by her own father.
According to a police warrant, Pladl apparently told his other children to call Katie “stepmom” and admitted to his estranged wife that not only was he the father of his daughter’s baby, but that he planned to marry her. A recently-revealed Snapchat photo that made its way to an Instagram account, shows what appears to be dad and daughter in front of a pond, kissing. The female in the photo, reportedly Katie, looks visibly pregnant.
Authorities obtained arrest warrants for both Katie Pladl and her father. When police arrested father and daughter, a baby boy, born in September 2017, was with them. It’s unclear where the baby was taken after his parents’ arrest.
Both defendants are now facing one felony charge of incest and two misdemeanor charges of “contributing to the delinquency, abuse or neglect of a minor.” They’re facing up to 10 years in prison on the incest charges, and up to year in jail and fines for the misdemeanor charges.
Steven Pladl posted bond in Henrico County, but lawyers for Katie Pladl haven’t decided whether they’ll seek bond for her or not. David E. Noll, one of Katie Pladl’s lawyers, declined to comment on the matter.
Both suspects are expected back in court on April 23.
[Feature Photo: Steven and Katie Pladl/Police Handout]
