Local News
Judge orders Amish families out of homes
EBENSBURG — Judge Norman Krumenacker on Friday ordered two Amish families to leave their homes by 10 a.m. Monday or face eviction because they have not complied with sewage and building code regulations.
Sheriff’s deputies will padlock the houses and any barns or outbuildings on the properties, Krumenacker said.
The padlocks will remain in place until the properties are brought into compliance, the judge ordered.
The couples are Joely and Mary Swartzentruver, who live along Amadei Road in Barr Township with their three children ranging in age from 10 months to 3 years old, and John and Susan Miller, who live along Duman Road in Blacklick Township with their 5-year-old son.
They are members of the ultraconservative Swartzentruver sect, which shuns modern conveniences.
The members dress in dark clothing and travel by horse and buggy.
About 40 sect members attended the court hearing on Friday. They appeared to be stunned by the judge’s order to evict the families.
Although sect members have contended that the regulations infringe on their First Amendment right to freedom of religion, the judge and the sewage and building codes enforcement agencies have said it is a public health issue.
In March, Krumenacker jailed sect member Andy Swartzentruver for 90 days after holding him in contempt for failing to bring two outhouses into compliance at an Amish school in Barr Township. Andy Swartzentruver owns the school property.
He is to be released by June 14.
The school was padlocked, and students reportedly are being home-schooled.
At Friday’s hearing, the judge held the couples in contempt of court for failing to bring the properties into compliance within the 60 days he gave them in January. Two agency officials testified that there was no evidence that the order has been met.
The two husbands conferred for about 10 minutes with the sect’s elders, who were in the courtroom. Afterward, they called no witnesses, only telling the judge that they wanted “to stand by our religion, our church.”
Afterward, Joely Swartzentruver expressed puzzlement at the judge’s ruling, saying that his house had been built according to an “Amish blueprint” that includes “sealed (sewage) tanks that we make ourselves.”
He said, “We hoped to settle here and have freedom.”
He and the Millers said they were unsure what they will do.
“I try to leave everything to God. I try to think God will lead me where we should be,” Susan Miller said.
The sewage and building codes agencies had filed the civil actions against the couples Sept. 26, seeking compliance with state and municipal regulations.
After Friday’s hearing, William Barbin, solicitor for the two agencies, said, “This is a good decision. First of all, he didn’t sent them to jail. He (the judge) is particularly concerned about the sewage and that no additional sewage be spread (in the fields).”
Under federal and state laws, “a state must bend rules to accommodate religious beliefs unless those beliefs undermine society, and here it is a health and safety issue,” Barbin said.
The Amish no longer have an attorney to represent them.
Their attorney, James Stratton, withdrew in early April.
- Local News
-
-
NEW - Dinner raises $1.2 million for Murtha foundation
More than 300 lawmakers, military officials and business leaders gathered Wednesday night to pay tribute to the memory of the late John P. Murtha.
The event – “A Night To Remember and Celebrate” – raised $1.2 million for the John P. Murtha Foundation and the John P. Murtha Center for Public Service, to be developed on the Pitt-Johnstown campus. -
Helper guilty of fraud
A Cambria County jury took only an hour Wednesday to find a part-time handyman/caregiver guilty on all counts for misappropriating $668,518 from 2000 to early 2008 from an elderly woman who thought of him like a son.
-
Youth freed in stabbing
A 15-year-old boy accused of stabbing another youth in a dispute over money was expected to be released from jail Wednesday, and the case likely will be heard in juvenile court.
-
Health reform is here to stay, government official declares
Health-care reform is not going anywhere, a regional director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told a lunchtime business meeting Wednesday.
-
Officer charged with assault to be assessed
A Windber police corporal suspended after he was accused of assaulting a woman will be assessed by a batterers intervention group, authorities said.
-
Camp PARC offers fantasy, adventure
Camp PARC counselors and campers joined together to play instruments and sing songs Wednesday, embodying the emotion behind the camp with the song lyrics: “It starts in the heart.”
-
In brief: Free dinner planned at Windber church
A free community dinner will be served from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Windber Calvary United Methodist Church, 1800 Stockholm Ave.
-
Critz seeks attendance at ARMTech showcase
U.S. Rep. Mark Critz, D-Johnstown, is urging western Pennsylvania businesses to participate in the 12th annual ARMTech Showcase of Industry and Technology that will be held Aug. 18-20 in Kittanning, Armstrong County.
- UPDATE Jury begins deliberations in Solensky trial
- District Deaths July 29, 2010
- More Local News Headlines
-
NEW - Dinner raises $1.2 million for Murtha foundation
