Posted on 04/08/2008 7:13:47 AM PDT by Born Conservative
In 2005, an Amish dairy farmer from Montour County was sentenced to up to 18 years in prison for molesting girls. Now he's arguing that his attorney didn't do enough to help him and the Amish community supports him all the way.
Eli Hostetler, 51, was charged with sexually assaulting more than a half dozen Amish girls. He pleaded no contest to those charges and was sentenced to seven to 18 years in prison.
After three years in prison and much research, the Hostetler and two dozen of his fellow church members were back in court Monday, claiming his attorney did not do his job.
Inside the Montour County courthouse members of the Amish community from the Washingtonville and Turbotville area gathered to support one of their brethren.
Hostetler claims his attorney didn't give him effective counsel in 2004. Hostetler was sentenced to seven to 18 years in prison for sexually molesting seven Amish girls.
Hostetler maintains he was told he might only get 18 months and now he's fighting to get his sentence reduced.
"It seems that Mr. Hostetler from the very beginning of this case in 2004 has wide-spread support from his Amish community. At the time of his preliminary hearing in this courthouse, the place was packed with Amish folks who had traveled from all over Pennsylvania," said District Montour County Attorney Robert Buehner.
He added he has never seen such support for a defendant, especially considering the child sex charges Hostetler faced.
Buehner said dozens of Hostetler's family, neighbors and friends have come to each of his court hearings to support him.
As rare and unusual as it might seem to see two dozen Amish men and women inside the courtroom, it wasn't quite as traditional as you might think. There were no horses and buggies lining Mill Street, only red vans in which they arrived.
Inside the courthouse, the men placed their traditional black hats on a coatrack. While in the courtroom the Amish men and women listened intently as Eli Hostetler spoke, trying to convince the judge he should get a second shot at a shorter sentence.
When asked why they are supporting Hostetler, one member of the Amish community who was in the courtroom said, "We are a close-knight group. We stick together."
County judge Scott Naus now has to decide if Hostetler's attorney did not do his job.
The thread should be entitled, “Liberalism and the Amish Church”.
Pretty sad that the Amish have this stuff going on within their community, although I wouldn’t be surprised that this is more common than we know.
Having served in a statewide association with attorneys who represented the Amish in the Lancaster, PA area, yes, crime among the Amish is more common than most would expect. The defense attorneys had an easier time than most, though, because of the reluctance of the Amish to testify against one another.
Could be they are more like the little latino men than we thought.
“Render unto Ceasar that which is Ceasar’s.”
He should pay taxes?????
What, they think he's not guilty? They don't care if their daughters are sexually assaulted? They plan to take him out to the barn and castrate him when he gets out of jail?
CREEPY.
Absolutely sick that they would support a man found guilty of molesting so many children. Even one child victimized by this creep is too many!
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