CLEARFIELD – An Amish man accused of indecent assault will be staying in jail.
An attorney for Wallace J. Schmucker, 55, of Punxsutawney filed a motion to modify his bail to allow him to be released and return to a treatment facility.
Schmucker was charged in March with two counts of aggravated indecent assault, four counts of endangering the welfare of a child, four counts of corruption of minors, two counts of indecent exposure, and 11 counts of indecent assault on person less than 16-years-old in relation to incidents that happened between 2004 and January of 2016 at his Bell Township home.
According to the affidavit, during that time period, Schmucker allegedly touched four girls aged 13 years old to 15 years old inappropriately. This included touching their private area and breasts.
During motions court on Wednesday, Joe Ryan, attorney for Schmucker, explained that his client has never been in trouble before, and he has no history of avoiding police. In fact, he had known for a while that he would be arrested due to these accusations, and he made no attempt to run away.
He has been cooperative, Ryan said, and had been admitted to a rehabilitation facility before being taken into custody.
Ryan stated that Schmucker wanted to go back to the treatment facility and asked President Judge Fredric J. Ammerman to lower his bail to allow that.
Schmucker’s bail is currently $250,000.
Deputy Attorney General Summer Carroll, who represented the Commonwealth, stated she objected to him being taken to the treatment center because it is an unsecured facility from which he could sign himself out at any time.
She also noted that because he is a member of the Amish community that “lives off the grid” he could possibly go to another Amish community, change his name and there would be no way to trace him.
When Ammerman asked whether that has ever happened before, she replied that local law enforcement has told her that “it happens.”
Ammerman noted that this is an “unusual situation” before denying the motion.
