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	Amish Community in Spotlight after Punishing Accused Pedophile without Reporting Crime to Law Enforcement By Kathleen Berger KSDK September 4, 2010 http://www.ksdk.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=214808&catid=3 An Amish man is charged with a string of sexual assaults on children in Pike County. And he's charged with sexually assaulting his own cousin in Wisconsin. But before authorities got involved, members of the Amish community tried to handle this on their own. One of the Amish bishops spoke with NewsChannel5, but would not go on camera for religious reasons. He admitted the Amish church knew of the accusations of sexual abuse and punished the man three times with excommunication. But that was not enough. The church eventually turned to the law for help. As a result, 26-year-old Chester Mast is spending his days inside the Pike County Jail. The Pike County Prosecutor has charged Mast with two counts of statutory rape, two counts of statutory sodomy and one count of sexual misconduct involving a child. Investigators claim that Mast has victimized at least six girls, ages 5 to 15 over the last 10 years. Much of the crimes happened inside and outside the Amish community in Curryville. "It's very quiet here," said Curryville resident Mary Jo Rose. Rose has lived here 30 years. She owns "Drieds and Etc." It's a country resale shop. She even sells Amish Jellies. Rose says it's disheartening that Amish leaders knew about Mast, but for years did nothing except repeated excommunications. "Definitely get the law involved," said Rose. "This is something that should not go on at all." But she admits it's not surprising. "Our laws a lot of time does not apply to them," said Rose. Which is why she never met Chester Mast; their worlds are so different. "They don't use electricity; don't have running water, phones. No conveniences like we do," said Rose. Rose says the Amish are neighborly, and in return neighbors to the Amish will give them a ride or let them use their phones. "And they help each other. If someone needed hay put up, they'll all go to that place, help him, and keep sharing like that," said Rose. But the Chester Mast situation was something they tried and failed to handle without the outside world. Mast is jailed on a $100,000 bond. His trial is set to begin December 15
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