Putting all of the Amish men and women convicted in beardand hair-cutting attacks on fellow Amish behind bars now during harvest season would create a financial hardship for their families and could leave their children hungry this winter, their lawyers said.
Nine of the 16 Amish people convicted a week ago have remained free, but the government wants them locked up before they are sentenced early next year.
Defense attorneys for some of those who have been out on bond say their clients don’t pose a threat to anyone and they have not been in trouble before, according to court documents filed Thursday.
A federal jury in Cleveland convicted all of the defendants of hate crimes in the hair attacks last fall, which prosecutors said stemmed from religious disputes among the Amish in eastern Ohio. The leader of the group was found guilty of orchestrating the cuttings to shame mainstream members who he believed were straying from their beliefs. His followers were found guilty of carrying out the attacks.
After the convictions, prosecutors said detention is mandatory for the defendants and asked that bond be revoked. U.S. District Court Judge Dan Aaron Polster is weighing the request.
The defense plans to appeal the convictions.
Several of the people convicted are married, and prison terms could leave close to 50 children with one or both parents behind bars.
Attorneys for various defendants stressed their clients’ role in harvesting the season’s crops and earning money to tide their families over while they are jailed.
Front Section, Pages 4 on 09/28/2012