Amish retreat leader accused of forced labor and sexual abuse appears in court
By Ryan Loomer
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BOONVILLE, Missouri (KOMU) — Editor’s Note This story contains graphic allegations that describe physical and sexual abuse. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline is 988 and the national sexual assault hotline is 1-800-656-4673.
The leader of the Mercy and Truth Retreat in Cooper County, who is accused of abusing residents and forcing them to work for him without pay, appeared in court in Cooper County via video call on Tuesday.
Sam B. Shetler, 42, of Boonville, was arrested on March 25 and charged with two counts of trafficking for the purposes of slavery/involuntary servitude/or forced labor and one count of first-degree sodomy or attempted sodomy. Shetler appeared for an arraignment hearing on March 27 and entered a plea of not guilty, according to court records.
In court Tuesday, Shetler told Judge Keith Bail he does not have an attorney because he has not been able to talk to his family or his church. Shetler also refused to fill out a public defender application.
“I would prefer to first talk to my family and my church because I’m still not sure if my church approves of that,” Shetler said, “so if I’m allowed to, I would like to first communicate with my family and my church and make sure I’m not doing something against the church.”
Mercy and Truth is a retreat for Amish and Mennonite community members that Shetler has owned and operated since 2022, according to court documents. A probable cause statement written by a Cooper County Sheriff’s Office detective sergeant describes the retreat as being for individuals who are “morally or mentally disabled and or in need of counseling or therapy services.”
“The retreat was under the control of one individual who took advantage of his position in the Amish Community to control, manipulate, coerce, and force vulnerable people for his own profit in different forms,” Cooper County Sheriff Chris Class said in the Sheriff’s Office’s Facebook post announcing the charges.
Between 2022 and 2026, the Cooper County Sheriff’s Office received numerous phone calls regarding “cult-like” suspicious, abusive, sexual and neglectful behavior from Shetler to his residents at the retreat, the probable cause statement said. Due to cultural differences, several reports were unfounded or unable to be fully investigated, according to the probable cause statement.
The statement also noted that someone explained that he and other young men and boys were forced to work at Shetler’s private businesses and private farms. He said the workers allegedly were not paid for their labor and that the majority of them were not receiving counseling or therapy from Shetler.
Another person said they worked to train Shetler’s horses, worked in the fields, worked at a wood pallet shop or the sawmill and were often “leased out” to “English” people for work; adding that any money paid was given to Shetler only, according to the probable cause statement. He said he went to the retreat to receive counseling and guidance but was never given time with Shetler and instead was forced to work for him, according to the statement.
Witnesses said forms of punishment at the retreat for not taking pills, not working or not obeying Shelter would range from sleeping in the attic during the winter, sitting in the “icehouse,” being tied or chained up, force-fed pills, verbal abuse, being “spanked,” continued forced labor and being forced into the “safe room,” according to the probable cause statement.
The probable cause statement also described an allegation of Shetler having unwanted sexual contact with a girl who was staying at the retreat when she was 13 or 14 years old.
“Through interviews, letters, and investigations, a consistent scheme, plan, and pattern was established,” the statement said. “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.”
Shetler is being held at the Cooper County Jail, and his bond was set at $100,000 cash or surety.
His next hearing, a counsel status hearing, is set for 10:30 a.m. on April 7 at the Cooper County Courthouse.
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