A 47-year-old Bloomfield woman was arrested Saturday, Nov. 16, following an investigation by the Greene County Prosecutor’s Office and the Department of Child Services (DCS) into allegations of educational neglect involving her children.

According to a probable cause affidavit filed in Greene Superior Court, Stephanie Rena Hoene faces two Level 6 felony counts of neglect of a dependent.

The investigation began on Sept. 22 when a Family Case Manager (FCM) with DCS received a report that a sexually violent predator was living on the Hoene property, that one of the children was homeschooled, and that the child — identified in court documents as Victim 1 — was unable to write his name.

On Sept. 25, FCM Nate Glaser met with Stephanie and Michael Hoene at their Greene County home. The couple confirmed that a registered sex offender and relative lived on their property, but said he did not have contact with the children. The Hoenes stated that their 10-year-old son was homeschooled and provided an attendance log showing lessons in reading, writing, math, and physical education.

However, when Glaser interviewed the child, he was unable to read, identify letters, or write his own name. Based on his age, investigators noted the child should be in approximately fourth grade but had never attended public school.

Over the following weeks, investigators conducted multiple interviews with Hoene and her other children. A 15-year-old half-brother told officials he was homeschooled but struggled with high school-level math and reading materials. A 17-year-old half-sister also reported being homeschooled and preparing for an HSE, but she struggled with basic reading and math skills during testing.

Despite repeated guidance from DCS and school officials, investigators said the Hoenes failed to enroll their children in public school as directed. Emails and phone records included in the affidavit show that Eastern Greene and Bloomington North school staff had been in contact with Hoene about enrollment, but as of early November, her children were not fully enrolled or attending.

The affidavit notes that one child briefly attended Eastern Greene Elementary for a short, two-hour introductory schedule beginning Nov. 10, but the student did not return the following day and did not remain in the school’s attendance system.

After weeks of unsuccessful compliance attempts, the case was referred to the Greene County Prosecutor’s Office. Investigator Julie Criger filed the neglect charges on Nov. 14, and Hoene was arrested on Nov. 16.

Hoene was transported to Greene County Jail where her bond was set at $8,000 surety with 10% cash allowed. She was released after posting $800.