Sam Shetler Pleads Not Guilty After Requesting — And Receiving — New Judge; Bond Again Denied
There have been a couple of recent updates on the Mercy & Truth Retreat case. Retreat Leader Sam Shetler, indicted on 10 counts including multiple felonies, pleaded not guilty Wednesday in the Cooper County, Missouri Courthouse.
Also, in what I would assume is a “win” for his side, he had previously requested – and been granted – a new judge in his case.
However, that judge did not go along with providing Shetler a means to be released from jail prior to his trial.
Shetler Pleads Not Guilty; New Judge Denies Bond – Again
First, Shetler entered a “not guilty” plea to the 10 counts against him. They are:
- Three counts of Trafficking for the Purposes of Slavery/Involuntary Servitude/Forced Labor
- One count of First-Degree Sodomy
- Four counts of First Degree Kidnapping – Facilitating A Felony – Inflicting Injury – Terrorizing
- One count of First Degree Sexual Abuse
- One count of First Degree Involuntary Manslaughter
More details on the kidnapping and manslaughter charges can be found here, and allegations of abuse here.
On May 10, Shetler’s attorney filed a motion for a change of judge. The request was granted the following day. Several days later the Missouri Supreme Court approved the temporary transfer of Judge Josh Taylor (Saline County) to handle the case. I have seen no reporting on why the motion was made or why it was granted.
On Tuesday May 19, Taylor rejected Shetler’s latest request for bond, finding that “there would be no monetary value sufficient to release Shetler back into the community,” as reported by KOMU. Shetler has now been denied bond multiple times since his arrest in late March.
Trial Will Be Set At August Hearing
The latest reports also bring more details on when a trial date will be decided, and how long it is expected to last. A hearing to set the trial date has been scheduled for August 13. So it will be some months yet before Shetler gets a trial scheduled.
As to duration of the trial, attorneys for both sides expect it to last two weeks. The most significant potential punishment Shetler could face is possible life in prison relating to two of the 10 counts against him.
