The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that on Wednesday, 12 members of an Amish sect in Ohio who have been indicted on charges of conspiring to violate the federal hate crimes statute and the federal witness tampering law all pleaded not guilty. (See prior related posting.) The charges grew out of assaults that included forcible beard-cuttings carried out against members of a rival Amish faction. Seven of the defendants who have been detained since their arrests in November were ordered to remain in jail. Five other of the defendants who were not in detention were ordered to have no contact with the assault victims. Samuel Mullet Sr., the leader of the group to which defendants belong, was among those jailed. The court concluded that his release with an electronic monitor was not feasible because Mullet has no electricity in his home.
UPDATE: In a Jan. 18 filing with the court, Samuel Mullet's attorney has said Mullet would install electricity in his home to permit his pre-trial release with electronic monitoring. (Daily Mail).
