Amish man sentenced to 31 years to life in prison for rape
Trending
WOODSFIELD - An Amish man convicted of the rape of his two daughters was sentenced Tuesday to 31 years to life in prison.
Albert Hochstetler was recently convicted of two counts of rape and two counts of gross sexual imposition after his two daughters came forward with the information that he had sexually abused them both.
In sentencing Hochstetler, Monroe County Common Pleas Judge Julie Selmon said that Hochstetler has shown no remorse to the two victims who suffered serious physical psychological harm as a result of the offenses.
She added that he will be given 30 days credit for time served. He will be deemed a tier-three sex offender with community notification provisions and be on mandatory post-release control for five years. Selmon said the parole court can send Hochstetler back to prison for additional prison time should that apply.
Prior to Hochstetler's sentencing, victim advocate Lynn Booher read a letter from both daughters.
The letter said that due to the daughters speaking out about their father raping them, the Amish community has shunned them.
"Because we spoke up and told the truth, most of the people in this community think that we are lying and that we are brainwashed,” the letter read. “We cannot see our brothers because of that. I have not seen them for a year.
"In the Amish community, the victims are the ones that are punished, and the perpetrator is thought of as a wonderful guy,” the letter continued. “But even though we are treated bad, I am not sorry that I spoke up. This is a horrible sin that happens way too often, and as long as it’s an Amish person who does it, it is just OK and you should forgive and forget, and not go to the law. We can forgive, but we will never forget. And, Dad, being punished on earth is much better than being punished eternally. God knows everything that happened, and everybody else will too someday."
The letter added that regardless of what people in their community believe, God knows all.
"Read First Corinthians, Chapter Five. Dad, if you would have admitted it all from the start, it wouldn’t have come to this," the letter said.
Despite Hochstetler already being found guilty of his charges, the court room was filled with residents of the Amish community in support of him.
"I was somewhat surprised by the amount of support that he did receive. With that said, every defendant is innocent until proven guilty, and it’s my job to present those facts to the jury so they can make a determination," prosecutor James Peters said. "Even though the community may not have believed these girls, it was pretty clear immediately that the jury did."
He added that when the daughters came forward about their father they were removed from the home through what’s called an Amish restoration team which is similar to Child Protective Services within the Amish community. The team recommended that the children be removed and receive counseling, which they did.