Amish Controversies

This is a follow-up to the Missouri abuse case story widely covered last month. From KY3: MARSHFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – A Webster County judge Thursday sent two Amish brothers for prison for violating terms of their probation. Petie and Aaron Schartz of Seymour, Mo. will spend 15 years in prison for their sexual abuse convictions. […]

Continue Reading Amish Brothers Violate Probation, Sentenced To 15 Years Prison In Abuse Case

An Amish friend who saw the title of the post last week had this to say: “Plain Parade – what an oxymoron”. I think that is an astute observation. The quotation marks were meant to suggest the term be taken with a grain of salt. Especially, as noted in the original post, since the actual […]

Continue Reading A Follow-Up On The “Plain Parade”

There was kind of a quirky “Amish” story that emerged last week in France. Not being a French speaker, I have mainly heard of it secondhand from French readers of this site, who have kindly kept me informed. I wanted to share a brief guest post from Romain Speisser on the topic with you today, […]

Continue Reading The Amish, Macron & 5G

This is a really ugly story which has been making its way around the web the past few days. I take no joy in covering this but it is an “Amish” story, and one that is getting attention for reasons which raise questions about equal treatment. Two adult brothers plead guilty to molesting their minor-age […]

Continue Reading Amish Brothers Escape Jail Time In Abuse Case

This caught my eye yesterday. I’ve not often seen an online fundraiser for a person who left his or her Amish community. But that’s what this is, for a 27-year-old woman named Millie: Hi everyone, Millie may the decision to leave the Amish very recently. She had been shunned by her family and they would […]

Continue Reading A Go Fund Me For An “Amish Escapee”?

A disturbing story reported yesterday out of upstate New York: TOWN OF DEKALB, N.Y. (WWNY) – State Police are investigating suspicious incidents just outside the St. Lawrence County village of Richville last Wednesday. Troopers said a man and woman reportedly pulled into the driveway of an Amish household on Welch Road, where a sign was […]

Continue Reading Suspicious Couple Visit NY Amish Home, Attempt To Lure 13-Year-Old Girl Into Car

Of course, coronavirus cases are increasing in some places. There is zero surprise in that, despite the way some headlines might be written to suggest otherwise. And in Holmes County, which thrives on Amish-themed tourism, cases have increased since “reopening” as well. Local officials are not pinning this on the return of tourism, however. From […]

Continue Reading Holmes County Officials: Coronavirus Increase Not Due To Tourism

A case that we’ve followed for some time now reached another point in its journey through the court system. On Monday a Minnesota Court of Appeals upheld the original decision. The article in the Post Bulletin summarizes recent events in the matter: The Minnesota Court of Appeals upheld a ruling Monday that would require four […]

Continue Reading Minnesota Amish Lose Appeal In “Gray Water” Case

A video making the media rounds supposedly shows Amish singers in Minneapolis singing a hymn as they hold signs related to the death of George Floyd. The people in the clip were in several places described as “Amish” – possibly due to the label at least one YouTube uploader gave the video, and those writing […]

Continue Reading Not Amish Singers (Updated)

Members of the Lancaster County Amish community contacted police – after first meeting with church leaders – about alleged cases of sexual abuse in their midst. From Lancaster Online: In what appears to be the first such case of its kind in Lancaster County, an Amish bishop has been charged with failing to report suspected […]

Continue Reading Lancaster Bishop Charged With Failing To Report Suspected Abuse