Story Published:
Oct 9, 2009 at 7:13 PM CDT
Story Updated:
Oct 9, 2009 at 7:13 PM CDT
MARSHFIELD, Mo -- An Amish man from the Seymour community is in jail accused of having sex with two children.
36-year-old Johnny Schwartz was arraigned in Marshfield early Friday morning.
Six charges have been filed against him; two for statutory sodomy, two for statutory rape and two for child molestation. The alleged victims are two girls who are now teens.
The alleged acts happened when one of the girls was between six and eight, and the other was under 14.
Court documents show Schwartz admitted to police to inappropriately touching the girls at his home. He claimed he was sorry, but could not stop.
These alleged incidents took place between 2000 and 2007. It took nine years for these stories to come out thanks to the Amish community taking care of its own business.
The girls both say the church has already punished Schwartz more than once.
It wasn't until an outsider, a driver for the Amish, brought these allegations to law enforcement.
County prosecutor Danette Padgett says, unfortunately this happens often regardless of religion.
"I worry as a prosecutor that situations like this are happening inside households, not just in the Amish community but in the community at large," Padgett said.
"These children are being victimized, and people know about who are close to them, and the don't report it because they don't want to get involved. And these poor children grow up in impossible situations."
Padgett also wants to make clear the Amish don't condone the alleged acts that happened.
Schwartz's Amish community respectfully declined a comment on the charges.
Schwartz is being held en lieu of a $250,000 bond. Click here to view the sheriff's probable cause statement.