‘Cult-like’ Amish leader to appear in court after newly filed charges
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The leader of a “cult-like” Amish community will make his first appearance in court Tuesday, one day after seven new charges were filed, including manslaughter in the 2025 death of an infant.
Sam Shetler, 42, of Boonville, will appear in the Cooper County Courthouse at 9 a.m. Tuesday in front of Judge Keith Bail.
Shetler is now charged with three counts of trafficking for forced labor, a count of first-degree sodomy, first-degree sex abuse, four counts of kidnapping and one count of first-degree involuntary manslaughter. He was originally arrested and charged last month. The additional charges were filed on Monday. He is still being held at the Cooper County Jail on a $100,000 bond.
Five new victims from the Amish community came forward to speak with investigators following Shetler’s arrest after a years-long investigation into an Amish Mennonite retreat run by Shetler.
Read more https://abc17news.com/news/boonville/2026/04/21/cult-like-amish-leader-to-appear-in-court-after-newly-filed-charges/
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