Just damn.
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Posted on 03/26/2004 9:28:56 AM PST by KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle
VIROQUA, Wis. — An Amish woman's claims of repeated sexual assault over 10 years has led to the arrests of four Amish people in Vernon County.
William Kempf, 77, Johnny Byler, 26, and Eli Byler, 24, were arrested Wednesday and released on bond the same day.
Each will be charged with more than one count of sexual assault of a child when they appear in court Monday, District Attorney Tim Gaskell said.
A fourth person arrested, Sally Kempf, 49, will be charged with failure to protect a child, Gaskell said. She also was released on bond.
An investigation was launched after a 20-year-old woman left the community and sought help from a non-Amish friend, Sheriff Gene Cary said. The friend contacted Cary, and the arrests were made two days later, he said.
The Bylers are brothers, and the Kempfs are the brothers' mother and stepfather.
Cary said it is rare for law enforcement to have contact with the local Amish community, whose members choose to live simple, religious-oriented lives and shun many modern conveniences.
"It's a very quiet community," Cary said. "Many times, if they have something even like a mailbox vandalism, they hesitate on reporting it. They kind of take care of things themselves."
Intervention was necessary, Gaskell said, because "we have a sexual assault victim who has reported this to law enforcement."
"It's no longer a hush-hush situation," Gaskell said. "These were criminal behaviors perpetrated on this victim. It doesn't matter who commits the crime."
The allegations against the Bylers are more serious than those against their stepfather, though the law doesn't differentiate between types of sexual contact with a child, Gaskell said.
The woman reported she had been repeatedly sexually assaulted over 10 years in both Pennsylvania and Vernon County. She said the local assaults occurred at two residences in the towns of Harmony and Webster, Cary said.
A report will be sent to Pennsylvania authorities, Cary said.
Those arrested were cooperative "for the most part," Cary said. He declined to elaborate, saying, "some of this may end up being used in trial, and we don't want to do anything to jeopardize our case."
While police contact with local Amish is historically minimal, members of the religious sect have been arrested in the past in Vernon County, "but many times they are on the fringe," Cary said.
"By that I mean they are leaving the clan, the religion," he said. "We've had some scrapes, but nothing of this magnitude."
The fact the suspects are Amish meant the investigation was not routine, Cary said.
"It can be a more difficult process because of their religious beliefs and that sort of thing," Cary said.
"You've got to be especially careful of their rights because they don't really understand and they don't follow Miranda (rights) and things of that nature," he said. "Things have to be explained in a more concise manner."
Amish people generally don't like being photographed for religious reasons, and the Kempfs both asked that jail booking shots not be taken. The sheriff's department complied with the request.
Religous Beliefs - I know of no Christian Religion that supports rape!
Photos and prints are std procedure.
The stepfather is 77 and it looks like he's kinky and shared with the other boys. The 49 y/o mom apparently did nothing when the 20 y/o daughter told her about it. That's why the girl went to the outside. The girl must really be hurt by this.
Where?
The 20 y/o victim is the 49 y/o mom's daughter. The 77 y/o man is the stepfather.
Charges have been made by an alledged victim that consist of repeated sexual assaults. From the article:
An Amish woman's claims of repeated sexual assault over 10 years has led to the arrests of four Amish people in Vernon County.
The sheriff and DA of Vernon Co. wouldn't have proceded this far if the case was groundless.
Just damn.
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Well, you argued that the heinousness of the crime mitigated against the usual deference to the Amish religious practices. Since they are innocent (so far), that doesn't work.
If they end up being found guilty, it won't matter much. If not, then it would be a shame.
But why photograph them, all Amish look the same anyway -- or at least they try to.
What makes this sound: "clip...clop..clip...clop, bang,bang, bang, clipclopclipclopclipclip...?
An Amish drive-by shooting.
Regarding the story: investigate, try, and convict if guilty. Let the system work.
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