Published: June 15, 2009 11:34 pm      

New complaint lodged against Amish

EBENSBURG — Even as one Amishman left jail for sewage violations at an Amish school property in Cambria County, a new complaint has been received about improper sewage disposal on another property of one of the members of an ultraconservative Amish sect that shuns modern ways.

Meanwhile, the Amish school in Barr Township and two homes owned by members of the sect – one in Barr and another in Blacklick Township – and their outhouses continued to be padlocked under orders of Judge Norman Krumenacker.

Krumenacker has ruled that the improper sewage disposal is a health hazard.

He said that the padlocks would remain in place until the properties are brought into compliance.

On Sunday, Andy Swartz-entruber, the owner of the property on which the schoolhouse is situated, was released from the Cambria County Prison after completing a 90-day sentence. Krumenacker ordered the jail term in March after the sect failed to bring the school outhouses into compliance with sewage regulations.

Even though the Amish – members of the Swartzentruber sect – had made some improvements, they failed to satisfy municipal requirements.

That also was the situation with two Amish families – Joely and Mary Swartzentruber of Barr Township and John and Susan Miller of Blacklick Township. In May, Krumenacker ordered that the couples and their children be evicted from their homes and their properties padlocked. They reportedly were to live with other family members.

Now the county sewage enforcement agency has received a new complaint about alleged improper disposal at another Barr Township property reportedly owned by a member of the Swartzentruber sect, agency Solicitor William Barbin reported Monday.

The complaint was received from a neighbor of the Barr Township property, Barbin said.

“We’ll investigate the complaint, and if there are violations, the property owner will be notified,” he said.

As was the case with the other property owners, the residents will be given an opportunity to bring the property into compliance before legal action is taken, Barbin said. He declined to reveal the name of the property owner until after the complaint is investigated.

The case against Andy Swartz-entruber started as a summary criminal offense before District Judge Michael Zungali. It eventually got appealed to county court.

The cases against the Millers and the Joely Swartzentruber family started as civil actions in county court filed by the sewage enforcement agency and the county building codes enforcement agency.

The Amish do not have telephones and could not be reached for comment. They apparently have no legal representation.

An Ebensburg attorney who had represented them was given permission by the judge on

April 6 to withdraw as legal counsel. The deadline for an appeal of Krumenacker’s May 8 eviction order to the two families has since passed with no action taken.