Assaults put glare on Ohio Amish

Associated Press

BERGHOLZ, Ohio

In an unusual public display of trouble among the traditionally guarded Amish, a breakaway group is accused of attacking mainstream members by cutting off their beards and hair, which carry spiritual significance in the faith.

At the center of the dispute is the group’s 66-year-old old leader, Sam Mullet, who said he brought his followers from a community dozens of miles away 15 years ago so they could live by a stricter doctrine without interference.

Instead, he has gained a reputation for being authoritarian and vindictive, been accused of running a cult, and become embroiled in a feud with the sheriff after a custody dispute years ago.

“I wanted something better for my children and my grandchildren and the younger ones,” he told The Associated Press in a rare interview this week. “I just wanted to drop out of sight and just take life easy.”

Hair-cutting attacks against several people, some of them women, have occurred in recent weeks in the area. Amish men typically grow beards as adults and stop trimming them when they marry, and the beards — and women’s long hair — are held in high esteem.

Mullet denies ordering beard-cuttings but says he wouldn’t stop them. They’re in response to incessant criticism he has received from other Amish religious leaders about his leadership practices, including excommunicating people in his own group, he said.

The men, who had hired a driver, common among the Amish, were then taken to Carroll County, where a similar attack happened, Zimmerly said. The driver, who apparently was unaware of what was happening, has not been charged.

Authorities have said two more arrests are expected this week.

Ohio has an estimated Amish population of just under 61,000 — second only to Pennsylvania — with most living in rural counties south and east of Cleveland.