Amish Acres Owner After Shutdown: “It Was A Paperwork Error” — State Now Finds No Violations
Two days after ordering Amish Acres closed, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security has released a new report stating that no violations were found at the Nappanee, Indiana property.
The owner, Brad Juneau, says the shutdown came down to missing paperwork rather than anything unsafe at the site.
The IDHS abruptly shut down the business on Tuesday, citing violations identified during a reinspection. The violations concerned documentation of fire alarm and sprinkler test reports, lack of records on the kitchen suppression system, and fire extinguisher maintenance.
The New State Report: No Violations – But They May Still Exist
WNDU reported today that IDHS has issued a new report finding no violations at the property.
I pulled the latest IDHS document, dated August 13. It is a separate inspection record from Tuesday’s, listed as a reinspection of the same Restaurant Barn. The results line reads “No Violations Found.”
But it is not a complete “green light,” as it states:
This report is to notify you that the Department performed an inspection of your property, and no violations were found to exist.
However, please be aware that obtaining a RESULT of “no violations found” does not mean that no violations exist on your property or may be found during a later inspection.
So the state is saying it did not find violations, but it is not saying the property is clean. That caveat appears to be standard language on these reports.
A Photo From The State’s File
There is also a photo attached to the state’s inspection records, filed August 11 – the day of the shutdown. I have not seen it published anywhere else.
It shows the Restaurant Barn – the building named in the original reinspection report, and the subject of the violations cited in that report – appearing in the center left. The Craft Barn is at right behind the “Welcome” sign.
In the foreground we see a hand-lettered “CEREMONY” sign. Maybe an indication of an event that happened or was planned to occur.
The Owner’s Account
Owner Brad Juneau gave his version to the Goshen News on Wednesday, saying the building would reopen that night and that the paperwork issue had been fixed.
In his quote below, he references a video, which was apparently provided to someone (the reporter?), but I haven’t been able to find anywhere online. Here’s Juneau’s comment (this dates to yesterday, August 12):
“As you will see by the video, all inspections of the restaurant building were done and cleared in February, so the building was not unsafe and there were no violations,” Juneau said in response.
“The problem was simply that paperwork was not turned in as proof of the inspection to the fire marshal, but you can see from the dates on inspection tags throughout our property, everything was done and cleared in February. So, it was a paperwork error.”
Still Unclear
None of the reporting states that the emergency order itself has been formally rescinded. The new IDHS report does not mention it either. There is no reference to the August 11 order anywhere in it.
However a comparison of one detail on the two inspection records points in that direction. Tuesday’s is flagged as an emergency order, with the “no violation” box empty. Thursday’s, however, lacks the emergency order language, and has the “no violation” box checked.
Also, no reporting I’ve seen has confirmed that Amish Acres actually reopened Wednesday night or since then, or that anyone is permitted back on the property.
But the state finding no violations, and Juneau’s explanation of it as a “paperwork problem”, suggest that Amish Acres may be back on the right track.
Amish Acres, located in the Nappanee, Indiana Amish community, has changed hands twice in the past six years. The property was run by the Richard Pletcher family for 50 years before being auctioned off in 2020 and rebranded as the Barns at Nappanee. It went up for sale again in 2025, and Juneau took ownership that October, pledging to return it closer to the original version.
