The leader of a ‘cult-like’ Amish community has been arrested after he was accused of sexual abuse and forced labor at a retreat he ran
The leader of a “cult-like” Amish community in Missouri has been arrested on suspicion of sexual abuse and forced labor at a rural retreat. Cooper County Sheriff Chris Class said that Sam Shetler was arrested on March 25 after a search warrant was issued at the Mercy and Truth-Amish and Mennonite Retreat, according to KMIZ.
Prosecutors filed charges of two counts of trafficking for forced labor and one count of sodomy against Shelter, 42, on Wednesday, March 25, which were made available on March 27. Shetler is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday, March 31, at 10:30 a.m. for a counsel status hearing. The arrest comes after at least three witnesses spoke to authorities in early 2026 about their experiences at the retreat put on by Shetler, which was described as being run under abusive and controlling conditions. The retreat was reportedly marketed to people from the Amish and Mennonite communities who are disabled or were in need of counseling or therapy. The sheriff's office received numerous tips between 2022 to 2026 regarding 'cult-like' behavior at the retreat in rural Cooper County, according to court documents viewed by the outlet. Witnesses said they were expedited to work on property without pay, while one witness claimed that children would be 'leased out' for work in town with all of the pay going directly to Shetler. Additionally, witnesses said that some people at the retreat were forced to sleep in the cold or had pepper put in their eyes as a form of punishment. One witness claimed that Shetler rubbed oil on them in order to 'heal” them before sexual abuse, adding that Shetler allegedly touched them inappropriately during one encounter. The same witness also claimed that Shelter gave them pills one night before they woke up to someone holding their legs and arms down. However, the witness said that they didn’t know who was holding them down. Court documents also state that Shetler has been accused of making at least three women believe they were possessed by demons and that they could only be healed by his massages. “Sam would mentally manipulate and mentally torture juvenile females, and young women into believing they were 'demon possessed' or that 'evil spirits' were present in order to 'control' them in exchange for self-gratification,' a Cooper County deputy wrote in a probable cause statement, per the outlet. After the allegations came to light, authorities launched a multi-year investigation into the matter before they conducted a search warrant on the property of the retreat. 'The retreat was under the control of one individual who took advantage of his position in the Amish Community to control, coerce, and force vulnerable people for his own profit in different forms,' the sheriff said in a news release. Shetler’s bond has been set at $100,000 cash. It is not currently clear if he has entered a plea or retained legal representation following his arrest. The Cooper County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Us Weekly’s request for comment regarding the case.
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