BishopAccountability.org
	Amish Wife Is Accused of Not Reporting Husband's Sexual Abuse of Girls KY3 October 15, 2009 http://www.ky3.com/news/local/64445517.html [with video] MARSHFIELD, Mo. -- A sexual assault case in the Amish community near Seymour has resulted in more charges. Last week, Johnny Schwartz was charged with having sexual contact with two teenage relatives. Now his wife is also charged because investigators say she let it happen. Webster County law officers say they learned by chance that Johnny Schwartz, 36, sexually assaulted two teenage girls. "It was an accidental disclosure. They call it the English community; our community overheard this being discussed among the Amish, and they actually did the reporting," said Webster County Prosecuting Attorney Danette Padgett. Now Johnny's wife, Fannie Schwartz, 47, is charged with not reporting the sexual contact to law officers. Detectives say Fannie Schwartz knew about the abuse. "It's my understanding she did, at different points in time, report it to the church and the church took care of that situation, in their opinion," said Padgett. Court documents show Schwartz told detectives that she knew Johnny was having sexual relations with the girls, and they talked about it several times. According to a probable cause statement against here, she said it wasn't bothering her like it should have been. "Anybody that has the responsibility of care for a child is considered a mandatory reporter," said Padgett. Sheriff Roye Cole says he understands there are cross-cultural conflicts but the two charges of child endangerment is no different for the Amish or anyone else. "Do they even know they need to report it? Who's going to report it? And how do they report it? I don't think the Amish community's going to have a list of phone numbers so they know to call the hotline," said Cole. "They need to know how to help children when they need it." People in the Amish community around Seymour and Diggins have repeatedly asked Webster County law enforcement officers to let them punish their members on their own terms. Coles says he's scheduled a meeting with the community's elders on Friday morning to make sure this situation doesn't happen again. A judge set Fannie Schwartz's bond at $25,000 and ordered her to have to contact with Johnny Schwartz or the two girls. If she's convicted, she could face a maximum prison sentence of seven years for one charge and four years for the other.
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