The Amish & Crime

Samuel L. Hochstetler, charged with murder in Amish woman Rosanna Kinsinger’s death, made his first court appearance yesterday. From WCHS: POMEROY, Ohio (WCHS) — A Pomeroy courtroom was packed with members of Amish community as an unusually disturbing murder case advanced though Ohio’s court system. Samuel Hochstetler, 18, is accused of killing 28-year-old Rosanna Kinsinger, of Pomeroy. Hochstetler was dressed in an orange jail uniform…

I believe “shocking” is appropriate to describe this case. A young Amish man has been charged with the murder of an Amish woman in Ohio. And according to police, he has made a confession – of a sort (more on that below). This is out of Meigs County, Ohio, home to a tiny Amish community. From WSAZ: MEIGS COUNTY, Ohio (WSAZ) – A man has…

Following the suspect’s arrest earlier this month, I wasn’t expecting another piece to the Amish buggy robbery story, but here it is. According to police, the man accused of armed buggy robbery had also been targeting the Amish in less-violent ways. Namely, writing bad checks to Amish stores in which he and an accomplice would acquire goods and attempt to get cash back from the…

There are a couple of things that grab your attention about this latest story of crime against the Amish (more below).  From wearegreenbay.com: WAUSHARA COUNTY, Wis. (WFRV) – A 17-year-old boy from Wisconsin has reached a plea agreement after allegedly burglarizing two Amish-owned businesses, including one location that was targeted twice. According to the Waushara County Sheriff’s Office, the first incident occurred on November 6,…

I’m calling them “Amish puppies” in the title as shorthand. But you know what I mean here. Amish-owned puppies. Five of them have gone missing from a Lancaster County farm. This report is from WHTM: LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM)– Pennsylvania State Police are searching for a suspect who stole five Labradoodle puppies from an Amish farm in Lancaster County. According to State Police, on Tuesday,…

Last year we learned of a Michigan man who’d made repeated threats of violence against Amish people (“Michigan Man (Finally?) Arrested After Amish Knife Threats“). This struck me as a rather bizarre story at the time. So I’m glad we have now gotten a follow-up – filling in more details on why this man apparently behaved the way he did. Threats had been ongoing against…

Good news in the recent Amish buggy robbery story – a suspect has been captured in northwestern Pennsylvania. Reported Friday by WFMJ: A West Middlesex man is being held in the Mercer County Jail following his arrest for an armed robbery and an attempted robbery of men driving horse-drawn buggies in Amish country. Todd Baker, 33, appeared before a district magistrate on Friday to answer…

In February, we got news that Sarah Beth Petersen had pled guilty. She had been accused of trying to take the fall for her twin sister Samantha Petersen. Authorities allege Samantha was the one actually driving in an accident which claimed two Amish children’s lives in 2023. Sarah Beth Petersen received her sentence Monday. From the Minnesota Star-Tribune: A 37-year-old woman was sentenced to three…

Buggies on the road make seemingly easy targets for armed robbers. But often enough, they end up getting caught. That might be bad news for a suspect who has been targeting Amish buggies in northwestern Pennsylvania. From WFMJ: A 30-year-old man from Mercer told police that a small black sedan stopped in front of his buggy. A male suspect, described as a white male wearing…

The trial of Shawn C. Cranston in the killing of Amish mother Rebekah Byler and her unborn child was set to commence this month. Jury selection was scheduled for next Tuesday, March 11th, with the trial to being immediately afterward. That will have to wait. In a surprise, news has just broke that the trial will be postponed AGAIN – until June. The reason? New…