Four Amish Elders Plead Guilty To Endangering The Welfare Of A Child:

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Four Amish Elders from Seymour pleaded guilty today to charges of endangering the welfare of a child for failing to report the sexual abuse of two girls living in their community last year.



Johnny A. Schwartz was sentenced to 20 years in prison

In October of 2009, Johnny A. Schwartz was charged with several sex offenses related to the ongoing molestation of his daughters. His wife, Fannie, was charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child for not reporting the abuse of her girls.

As elders of their church, Jacob Schwartz, 80; Christian Schwartz 41; Emmanuel Eicher, 44, and Peter Eicher are required by law as mandated reporters to report all allegations of physical or sexual abuse.

One of the bishops told a sheriff's investigator, "that it was against the Amish Rules to report child sexual abuse," and that they had shunned Johnny Schwartz twice for the sexual abuse of his daughters.
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Each of the elders was fined $300 for not contacting authorities when they learned of the sexual abuse.
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In the probable cause statement filed with the charges against Johnny Schwartz, one of the girls told investigators with the Child Advocacy Center that her dad told her, "he was sorry, but could not stop doing it."

Fannie Schwartz told Webster County Sheriff's investigator Rick Hamilton that the sexual abuse of her girls, "didn't bother her like it should have."

In January Johnny Schwartz pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two ten year consecutive sentences on  child molestation charges.  He also received two seven year sentences for statutory sodomy charges.



Fannie Schwartz received 5 years probation

Fannie J. Schwartz pleaded guilty to charges of endangering the welfare of a child and was placed on five years probation. She was also ordered to complete 100 hours of community service.

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Webster County Prosecutor Danette Padgett says her office will pursue charges against any mandated reporter who does not report the sexual or physical abuse of any child in her county.

Uncle Charged With Providing Drugs That Caused Teen's Death:

Daniel Verl Cox (mug shot WCSO)

Charges have been filed against the uncle of a Marshfield teen who died after he allegedly provided pain pills to 18 year-old Dwight Adam Stewart last May.

Webster County Prosecutor Danette Padgett filed involuntary manslaughter and distribution of a controlled substance charges against Daniel Verl Cox, 26, of Marshfield late this afternoon (07-21-10.)

Cox was originally arrested on probable cause within a few days of Stewart's death, but was released within 24 hours because Padgett was waiting on investigative reports before filing formal charges.

In the probable cause statement, Cox told Detective Rick Hamilton that he and Stewart got two pills from a man they picked up and had given a ride to near Marshfield. He said the pills looked like Ibuprofen.
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Dwight Adam Stewart (family photo)

Three days after Stewart's death, Cox told investigators that the pills were oxymorphine, “Daniel said he, himself bit into one pill and spit it out. Daniel said he felt effects from it by just biting into it,” Hamilton wrote.

The statement goes on to say that Stewart and Cox went to the home of some friends, who are brothers, to "smoke weed." Jared and Jayson Vancolkenburg told Deputy Lee that Cox had provided drugs and alcohol to Stewart in the past...one of them told the deputy they believe Cox "is responsible for Stewart’s death."

Jayson Vancolkenburg told investigators that Stewart was pale that night. He said Stewart could not stay awake and went outside to "throw up." He said that Stewart later vomited in the bathroom.

According to Cox, he and Stewart then went to his home on Greer Creek Road north of Marshfield and played video games until about 2:00 a.m. When Debbie Cox tried to wake her grandson up about noon he was unresponsive and she called 9-1-1. She told Deputy Lee her son left the house before authorities arrived.

Autopsy results show that Stewart was probably dead for about 12 hours before his aunt attempted to wake him up. The cause of Stewart's death was a combination of him choking on his own vomit and lack of oxygen to the brain acerbated by alcohol.

When Cox was re-interviewed by Hamilton on June 20th, Cox admitted giving, Stewart, as well as other people, drugs in the past, but that “he didn’t realize how serious this is until something bad like this happens,” and that he didn't think that the pill he gave Stewart would kill him.

Stewart's death has hit family and friends hard. Just two years ago his father was killed in an alcohol related crash. Dwight would have graduated from high school this summer after completing some summer courses.

Padgett says people need to realize that providing drugs to someone "Can drastically change their life. If you have a neighbor who has a back ache after working outside all day and you give them hydrocodone and they die, you'll be prosecuted. The involuntary manslaughter charges actually carries less time on it than the distribution charge. It's kind of backwards in my opinion."

Elementary School Janitor In Webster County Charged With Child Molestation:

Phillip Lawson Ingalsbe

A school janitor at Shook Elementary in Marshfield has been charged with molesting a 10 year-old female student.

Webster County Prosecutor Danette Padgett charged Phillip Lawson Ingalsbe, 51, of Niangua, today with felony child molestation.

According to the probable cause statement, last December a teacher reported to the school principal that she observed one of her students leave the janitor's room from which the door had been closed. The little girl told staff members that Ingalsbe took her to the janitor's room and closed the door. She said that while they were inside Ingalsbe allegedly put his hand inside her shirt and touched her chest, kissed her on the lips and neck, hugged her and slipped his hand inside the back of her pants.

The principal called the superintendent of the district and the districts maintenance director who called Ingalsbe into the Principal's office where the man admitted that he had inappropriately touched the little girl.

Attorney Joe Passanise

Online court records show Ingalsbe was formally arraigned today in Webster County. Prosecutors had asked that his bond be set at $100,000, but Ingalsbe’s attorney, Joe Passanise, made a motion for a bond reduction. Judge Kenneth Thompson granted the motion and set Ingalsbe's bond at $50,000, with stipulations that he have no contact with the alleged victim or other children and stay away from all school property.

Ingalsbe was released from the Webster County jail after posting $50,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on April 5, 2010.

If he's convicted, Ingalsbe could face between 5 to 15 years in prison.

https://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet/base/welcome.do

10WE-CR00158 - ST V PHILIP LAWSON INGALSBE