Amish couple arrested after ‘gifting’ their daughter, 14, to man who went on to father two children with her
The 51-year-old man was also arrested as TWELVE girls were rescued from his home
AN Amish couple allegedly ‘gifted’ their 14-year-old daughter to a man who is thought to have raped and fathered two children with her.
Daniel Stoltzfus, 43, and his wife Savilla Stoltzfus, 42, gave their daughter to 51-year-old Lee Kaplan in 2012 in return for help in saving their farm, officials said.
The three adults were found living in the same home where police also discovered 11 girls aged between six months and 8 years – including two born to the couple’s unidentified daughter.
Officials were called to Kaplan's home in Pennsylvania when a neighbour reported child abuse in the house, US news site CBS said.
Neighbour Jen Bets said there were “signs” something was wrong in the house.
She added: “(She was) too young to be the wife, but too old to be holding his hand.
“I just want them to get help and get back and be happy. They're so sad and fearful every time I see them. That's what made me call.”
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She added that the girls often seemed 'fearful' and would run back to the house whenever 'the male' who lived there went to the door. Police said the children did not go to school.
The couple, whose given address is 75 miles away, were living there too, a police officer said.
It is not known how long they had been living there or why they moved in.
The Stoltzfuse pair told police they were going to lose their farm until Kaplan “came out of the blue and saved them from financial ruin” around four years ago, Bucks County District Attorney David Heckler said.
Mr Stoltzfus said that he thought that handing his daughter over in the alleged transaction was legal after researching online.
Kaplan impregnated the 14-year-old almost immediately after she entered his home, according to court papers, and again when she was aged 17.
The girl is now 18, police said, and her three-year-old and six-month-old children were living in Kaplan's house.
According to the criminal complaint, Mrs Stoltzfus was aware that Kaplan was having sex with her daughter.
The couple claimed the other nine children belonged to them but no birth certificates could be found to confirm this, officials added.
An officer told CBS: “Right now we’re working on getting an expert on Amish culture to help us conduct interviews on the rest of these children.”
Kaplan has been charged with ten counts of sexual offenses, eight of them felonies, including statutory rape and aggravated indecent assault.
Mr Stoltzfus is charged with conspiracy to commit statutory sexual assault.
Both he and his wife are also charged with endangering the welfare of children.
They are each being held on $1million bail and will have a preliminary hearing on August 2.