Stories about the Amish as victims – or perpetrators – of crime.
Two volunteer firefighters have been charged with arson in the burning of an Amish furniture shop in Pennsylvania. The community in question is Smicksburg (Indiana County), one of the larger settlements in the state. Byler’s Custom Built Aspen Log Furniture burned down in a fire back in January. This was one of four Amish business fires which I noted at the time had happened in…
Back in February, we looked at four major financial schemes which Amish had fallen victim to since 2008. A principal figure in one of those schemes has now been ordered to pay restitution. One thing to mention up front: articles on this are describing Earl D. Miller as “Amish” (of course, that’s a catchier and more concise headline than “formerly Amish” or “Amish-raised”). However, it…
This is what an Amish buggy equipped with a stereo system looks like. These are big speakers and can surely put out some noise: It’s unclear if they were turned on when sheriff’s deputies pulled this buggy over in the Geauga County Amish community. The occupants of the carriage promptly ran off. From wspa.com: Just before 1 a.m., Trumbull County sheriff’s deputies said they saw…
An Amishman was sentenced Thursday in Dauphin County, PA for sexually abusing four girls when he was a teenager. From Penn Live: The 11 ½- to 23-month prison term President Judge Richard A. Lewis imposed on King was set in an agreement King reached when he pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including aggravated indecent assault, in April. King, now 33 and a Lebanon County resident,…
Unlike yesterday’s lead story, this is not of the feel-good variety. The Jamestown Post-Journal reports on an incident which happened Sunday in Warren County, PA: WARREN, Pa. — Information is being sought after a youth riding in an Amish buggy was struck in the face by a BB fired from an SUV in Warren County. According to the Pennsylvania State Police, the incident took place…
An Amishman was arrested for DUI in Kentucky after sideswiping a car with his buggy last week. The 34-year-old man was traveling with his wife and seven children, ages 9 months to 12 years old. He faces 10 felony counts as a result. The man first attempted to claim that one of his children was driving, but the children confirmed it was their father holding…
The year 2015 brought news of an investment scam targeting Amish in multiple states. Amish-born Earl D. Miller promised investors double-digit returns, and many Amish people gave Miller their money. Miller eventually gathered over $50 million. Some of this was used to pay back earlier investors promised returns, in typical Ponzi fashion, before the scheme imploded. Amish being victimized by large-scale financial scammers is nothing new,…
From mlive.com: GLADWIN, MI — An Amish man will spend more than a decade in prison for sexually assaulting three girls over a several years. Gladwin County Circuit Judge Thomas R. Evans on Monday, Oct. 15, sentenced 53-year-old Ora F. Troyer to one term of 15 to 25 years in prison and two terms of 10 to 15 years. The three terms are to run…
Sam Mullet, leader of the Bergholz, Ohio group infamous for hair and beard-cutting attacks on Amish, made news again recently when he asked for early release due to alleged mistakes made by his attorney. Mullet lost his attempt for release Wednesday: An attorney for 72-year-old Samuel Mullet Sr. argues that Mullet’s previous lawyer made mistakes. U.S. District Judge Dan Polster disagreed Wednesday, concluding that those…
Samuel Girod was sentenced last summer to 6 years in prison for various charges relating to the manufacture and sale of herbal products, including a salve which the Kentucky Amish farmer claimed could be used to treat cancer, among other ailments. Girod was convicted for charges including “conspiring to impede the FDA; failing to register his facility with the agency; threatening a witness to try to…