Recent sexual assault charges against two Amish men in Grant County Court is unusual in two ways. Grant County Sheriff Keith Govier says the Amish Community at first tried to deal with the situation within their own ranks, but had no success. He says it’s unusual for them to cooperate with Sheriff’s investigators. “Many times they are unwilling to talk to us, even as victims,” says Govier. “They have their own community, and they deal with things inside the community.”
Govier says both of men charged with multiple crimes, including sexual assault of a child and sexual gratification with an animal, have made statements confessing to the crimes. Govier says that doesn’t surprise him. “The one thing that we have found out with the Amish, they are very honest about their own conduct, even if it’s detrimental to making those statements.”
Govier credits the deputies who’ve handled the investigation for their professionalism, because of the bizarre nature of the alleged crimes. A criminal complaint has been filed against 19-year-old Christian G. Stoltzfus and 18-year-old Dannie S. Stotlzfus, both from Fennimore. The charges stem from a three-month long investigation conducted by the Grant County Sheriff’s Department and the Grant County Department of Social Services. Govier says the Amish Community fully cooperated with the investigation