Aaron Daniel Salyer, Tabitha Elizabeth Vain
40-year-old Aaron Daniel Salyer pleaded guilty to six counts of first-degree statutory sex offense, five counts of statutory rape and one count of statutory sex offense. He was sentenced to 259 to 371 months, or 21 years, seven months to 30 years, 11 months in prison. The defendant was ordered to register as a sex offender, and the judge issued a permanent no contact order with the victims.
41-year-old Tabitha Elizabeth Vain pleaded guilty to three counts of felony child abuse with a sex act and was sentenced to 38 to 106 months, or three years, two months to eight years, ten months in prison and was ordered to register as a sex offender.
The suspects were charged in connection to a multi-agency investigation into sexual assault allegations by two teenage girls. The Statesville Police Department and Troutman Police Department announced the arrests of Salyer and Vain in January of 2022.
Statesville Police began investigating after receiving a phone call from a teen who said she had been sexually assaulted over an eight year period. DSS took custody of a 14-year-old girl and her 16-year-old sister. The girls told investigators that Salyer had sexually assaulted them and that Vain knew about the sexual assaults and did nothing to help the girls.
Investigators obtained a search warrant for the couple’s residence and seized evidence pertaining to the case. Troutman Police also filed felony charges against Salyer and Vain for criminal offenses that occurred within town limits between 2013 and 2018.
Story: Rob Eastwood