SUMNER COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Sumner County jury has convicted a Hendersonville woman of aggravated child neglect and child neglect after prosecutors said she knowingly exposed children in her care to a man she knew had previously sexually abused a child.
Following a three-day trial, a jury found 46-year-old Stacy Dawn Alessio guilty of two counts of aggravated child neglect and two counts of child neglect, according to the District Attorney General's Office.
Prosecutors said evidence presented during the trial showed that in 2006, Stacy Alessio witnessed her then-husband, Christopher Howard Alessio, sexually abusing a child who was living in their White House home.
According to prosecutors, Stacy Alessio did not report the abuse or intervene. Instead, they said she forced the child to leave the home and later failed to confirm the allegations when the victim disclosed the abuse to family members.
During divorce proceedings in 2013, prosecutors said Stacy Alessio sent a Facebook message to the victim apologizing for not protecting the child and acknowledging the abuse allegations were true.
In a separate Facebook conversation in 2017, prosecutors said Stacy Alessio provided additional details about what she witnessed and acknowledged concerns that Christopher Alessio could abuse children.
By 2022, prosecutors said Stacy and Christopher Alessio were again living together in Hendersonville. According to trial testimony, the couple frequently hosted sleepovers and activities for pre-teen girls, including events connected to a local middle school dance team.
Parents believed the children were being supervised by Stacy Alessio, prosecutors said, but Christopher Alessio was often the primary caregiver during the sleepovers.
Prosecutors said Christopher Alessio sexually abused two children during multiple sleepovers in the summer of 2022. One of the victims later disclosed the abuse, leading to Christopher Alessio's arrest in October 2022.
After his arrest, the victim from the 2006 case shared Stacy Alessio's messages with investigators. Hendersonville Police Detective Jason Steffy arrested Stacy Alessio in January 2023 after she was indicted by a Sumner County grand jury.
In 2025, Christopher Alessio was convicted of more than 25 felony counts involving the sexual abuse of six children, including the victim from 2006. He was later sentenced to 162 years in prison without the possibility of parole or early release.
Following Wednesday's verdict, Judge Dee David Gay revoked Stacy Alessio's bond and scheduled sentencing for Aug. 28, 2026.
Prosecutors said she faces up to 24 years in prison. Under Tennessee law, sentences for aggravated child neglect must be served without the possibility of probation, parole or early release.
The District Attorney's Office credited the victims who testified in the case, along with investigators from the Hendersonville and White House police departments, for helping secure the conviction.
In a statement, prosecutors said the case demonstrates the importance of reporting known or suspected child abuse, noting that Christopher Alessio went on to abuse multiple additional children after the 2006 incident was not reported.
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