11/23/11 Charges in beard cutting attack dropped

  • By Nick Sabo
  • November 23, 2011
  • 269
                        
SUMMARY: Federal investigation results in hate crime charges against Sam Mullet and followers Felony charges against five Jefferson County men who allegedly attacked a local Amish family will be dropped as a federal prosecution on hate crimes proceeds. In a press conference Wednesday Nov. 23 attended by representatives of county-level Ohio law enforcement and the FBI, Holmes County Prosecuting Attorney Steve Knowling announced he will dismiss charges of kidnapping and aggravated burglary brought against Daniel S. Mullet, 37, 8865 County Road 53, Bergholz; Eli M. Miller, 31, 385 Township Road 280, Bergholz; Levi F. Miller, 53, 35 County Road 53, Bergholz; Johnny S. Mullet, 38, 362 Township Road 280, Bergholz; Lester S. Mullet, 26, 522 Township Road 54, Hammondsville. The five men were previously charged in Holmes County Municipal Court in an Oct. 4 home invasion, in which they allegedly assaulted a Holmes County Amish bishop and members of his family, cutting the bishop’s hair and beard. The five men, along with Samuel Mullet, Sr., 385 Township Road 280, Bergholz, and Emanuel Schrock, age and address unknown, were arrested Wednesday morning on a warrant obtained by federal agents. The seven men are charged with conspiring to commit hate crimes and aiding and abetting another in willfully causing bodily injury to any person, through the use of a dangerous weapon, because of the actual or perceived religion. The charges are violations of the Hate Crime Prevention Act. The search warrant was carried out at Samuel Mullet’s residence. According to a federal affidavit used to procure the search warrant, the seven defendants were responsible for four beard-cutting related attacks in Carroll, Holmes, Jefferson and Trumbull counties. The attacks were carried out Sept. 6, Oct. 4, Nov. 9, with the alleged Holmes and Carroll county attacks carried out on Oct. 4. The dangerous weapon mentioned is a pair of shears used to cut beards and hair of several Amish men in four attacks. In at least one instance, the shears caused lacerations to an Amish’s man’s head as his hair was cut. According to the affidavit, the shears were sold to Lester Miller Oct. 4. To demonstrate the sharpness of the shears, the person selling them cut through a piece of leather, the affidavit states. The attacks follow hate crime statutes in that they “religiously degraded members of other Amish communities”. The attacks were allegedly carried out in retaliation over a 2005 incident in which a larger council of Amish bishops disagreed with a shunning decision made by Samuel Mullet. The affidavit states that Samuel Mullet ordered the attacks and has complete control over the Bergholz Amish. A complete story will appear in the Nov. 29 Bargain Hunter.


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