Donnie Carter –  minimum 5 years and 3 months in prison followed by 36 months of probation

Vanover’s attorney, Jason Ross, told Duncan that Rockingham County District Attorney Craig Blitzer credited Vanover for leading Eden police detectives to three of the four men charged in the prostitution ring.

In addition to Vanover’s sentence, Duncan sentenced two of her co-defendants, Everett Ferris Jr. and Donnie Carter, to prison.

Ferris Jr. pleaded guilty in March to six counts each of patronizing a prostitute and indecent liberties with a child and was sentenced to a minimum of 6.5 years in prison for the first conviction and a minimum of 16 months in prison for the second. The second sentence was suspended, and instead he’ll serve 36 months on probation.

Ferris never spoke during his hearing.

Everett Ferris Jr,  was sentenced to a minimum of 6 1/2 years in prison plus 36 months probation.

Carter was sentenced Tuesday to a minimum of 5 years and 3 months in prison and 36 months of probation after pleading guilty to two counts of forcible sex offense, two counts of indecent liberties with a child and one count of patronizing prostitute with severe mental disability.

Earlier, Thomas “Tommy” Woodall, 67, of Eden pleaded guilty to statutory rape or sex offense with someone over six years old and abetting prostitution. He is in the Alexander Correctional Institution in Taylorsville, serving a minimum of 16 years and 2 months in prison.

A fourth man, Mickey Snow, 75 of Eden has not entered a plea and is expected to go to trial in the case in July. That date should be set during an appearance today.

Blitzer said he also plans to go before a grand jury Monday to seek a superseding indictment to update the girls’ ages on Snow’s charges, making them younger at the time of the alleged crimes.

Blitzer on Tuesday read to the judge portions of confessions given by Ferris, Carter and Vanover.

Mickey Snow will go on trial in July and has not entered a plea

Vanover told police she forced her older daughter, 15 at the time, to allow sexual acts to be performed on her by prominent men in Eden in exchange for $5, $10 and $20.

She would take her daughter to a barber shop, to the boat ramp at Draper’s Landing and, in one case, to the house of Ferris’ mother.

Sometimes Vanover also engaged in sexual acts simultaneously or made her daughter watch as she had sex with one of the men, also collecting $20.

Eventually the daughter refused to continue, and Vanover instead began to use her younger daughter, then 13.

The older daughter alerted police to the abuse in September 2015. The girls’ father had died in July of that year, and the daughter realized there were no longer medical bills to pay.

“We don’t have to do it anymore because daddy is dead,” the daughter told the police in transcripts read in court by Blitzer.

Vanover was arrested by the Eden Police Department, where she confessed to the crimes and incriminated Woodall, who owned a barber shop on North Fieldcrest Road in Eden.

After Vanover’s confession, police allowed her daughters to see her one more time.

Ross told the judge the moment was emotional and confusing for her daughters, who didn’t understand why their mother was under arrest. Vanover told her, “It’s mommy’s fault. I prostituted you guys. I have to face the consequences,’ ” Ross said, quoting a transcript from Vanover’s confession.

Vanover met with officers again following her arrest and incriminated Ferris, Snow and Carter.

“I know what I did with my kids was wrong, and I’m trying to make things right,” Vanover was quoted, by Blitzer, as having said to the police during her second confession.

Ross argued that the second confession happened without his notification despite his being Vanover’s attorney. He argued that confession violated her constitutional rights but said together he and his client decided not to go forward with a motion to suppress that confession.

Carter said little throughout his hearing Tuesday. He is scheduled to report to the Rockingham County Jail at 8 a.m. June 7 to begin his sentence.

Vanover, who has been in custody, was taken back to jail.

She had cried her way through her plea hearing and asked her attorney to stop Blitzer from reading the facts of the case into the court record.

“He has to,” Ross told Vanover.

Before being led back to the jail, Vanover appeared to have accepted her fate and calmed her two sisters, who were crying in the courtroom.

Judge Duncan had allowed Vanover to hug both of them before being taken into custody.

As her sisters cried, Vanover looked them in the eye and said, “It’s going to be OK. It’s a new chapter.”