Fourth Man Arrested In Amish Home Invasion…And It’s An Amish Taxi Driver
A man whom the Amish trusted – and paid – to drive them places was actually working against them.
While he operated as an Amish taxi driver, his side occupation was allegedly helping criminals target some of those very same Amish homes for burglary.
That’s according to new reports and allegations about a fourth man arrested in connection with the Geauga County, Ohio home invasion and assault case.
From FOX 8:
On Thursday afternoon, 43-year-old Ricky Lee Martin from Canton was taken into custody in Bainbridge Twp. after three other suspects were already arrested in connection with the assault.
According to the release, Martin allegedly would scout out Amish-owned businesses, homes and properties while working as an Amish taxi driver.
Martin would allegedly assess their value as targets for burglaries, thefts and other criminal actions.
So they trusted this guy, and (allegedly) he was scoping out their homes the whole time, helping his buddies to plan their crimes.
The involvement of this man may lead to identifying further Amish crime victims. Authorities have put out more information about the vehicle he drove, and what to do if you think you may have been a victim:
Martin was driving a silver 2011 Chevy Suburban with the Ohio license plate number JTD4357. He is currently being held at the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office Jail.
Anyone who had Martin as a taxi driver and also fell victim to theft, burglary or other similar offenses is asked to contact the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office at 440-286-1234 to speak with detectives.
There is no indication how many homes may have been targeted prior to last week’s crimes, but it sounds like this wasn’t the first time for these guys.
Funny enough, we have an ongoing series about Amish taxi driving running right now…so if you’d like to read about what a proper Amish taxi driver actually does, you can check out part one and two of that series here.
Here’s the video from the suspects’ arraignment today:
And the FB post on the fourth suspect being captured from Geauga County Sheriff Scott Hildenbrand:
Crazy
I’m 3-3 now! I saw this this morning, I just can’t get what peoples tendency to disrespect and hurt good people. Not saying every Amish person is good, because I know different and I’ve seen different but the vast majority are genuinely kind and respectful people!
Fourth Man Arrested/Amish Home Invasion
Yep, the first three “goons” needed help plotting whom they were going to target & for what sort of crimes. Well, lock this creep up in the same cell as one of his criminal buddies, then throw away the dang key!! I have no mercy for any of these guys. I really wish the U.S. Supreme Court would declare the Amish a group of ‘vulnerable’ people deserving special legal considerations (such as how the elderly or those with special needs are treated) and that the courts would deal with those who harm them/ their businesses more appropriately by giving them l-o-n-g-e-r sentences and BIGGER fines. Ugh! This sort of thing just drives me nuts.
Reply
HAHAHAAHAHHAHAHAA! I love it I’m sure Amish would have a good laugh too. I just think it’s society’s people who need to change not really laws protecting people. If respect, integrity, hard work etc. was still taught them all of our problems would be almost fixed. It takes a whole world effort rather than just a law. “Supreme Court would declare the Amish a group of ‘vulnerable’ people deserving special legal considerations (such as how the elderly or those with special needs are treated)” I love the comment though!
Amish Home Invasion
Hello Daniel, I wish people would change too. But since I don’t see that happening, I honestly feel that the Amish should, by law, be a “protected group”. We pass laws to protect our children, so why not the Amish?? They’re people known for non-violence/non-resistance. If they cannot protect themselves, perhaps laws should be enacted to try to protect them. I for one are sick and tired of seeing them victimized by unscrupulous people out there.
Oh my stars! As an Amish taxi driver myself, I’ve seen all kinds of drivers and often wondered how the Amish can be so trusting—allowing total strangers into their homes to sleep at night, often in one of their children’s bedrooms. At times drivers are left alone in their homes during the day while they attend weddings or funerals so the drivers have a more comfortable place to wait instead of their van.
I’ve asked before how they knew they could trust me—a stranger—and their answer is always the same: they put their trust in God. When heartbreaking things like this happen, as with Mr. Martin, they still do the same. They trust, and they forgive. That’s something most of us find hard to understand.
“Whatever happens, do not lose hold of the two main ropes of life—hope and faith.”
– Amish Proverb