LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — The bishop of a Lancaster County Amish church has been charged with failure to report sexual abuse to authorities, according to Pequea Township Police and the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office.
Levi Esh Sr., 63, was serving as bishop of two Amish churches when a member of one of his congregations, John G. Beiler, confessed to him in 2012 or 2013 that he had sexually abused three girls, according to police.
Beiler was charged last week with two counts of indecent assault on a victim less than 13 years of age, one count of indecent assault of a victim less than 16 years of age, three counts of corruption of minors, and three counts of unlawful contact with a minor after an investigation of allegations reported to police.
Beiler's alleged sexual abuse of the girls occurred between 2011 and 2015, authorities say.
Police say Esh did not contact authorities about the alleged abuse. Instead, he allegedly told them, the matter was "handled internally."
Esh allegedly instructed Beiler to confess to fathers of the victims, and Beiler, now 41, also was excommunicated from the church.
But Esh did not contact police or social services, authorities say.
Police say they became aware of the alleged activity after concerned members of the Amish community had conversations with Esh and other bishops and ministers in October 2019.
The community members reported they were told to “let it go” and that it had “been taken care of," police say.
Esh is charged with felony and misdemeanor counts of failure to report to appropriate authorities. The charges, filed by Pequea Township Police Det. Robert Burger, were approved by Lancaster County Assistant District Attorney Karen Mansfield.
Esh was arraigned by District Judge William Benner on Wednesday morning via video conference call. Bail was set at $25,000 unsecured, authorities say.
