MUG SHOT PHOTO 21-yr-old Amish man Willard Yoder arrested for sexting 12-yr-old girl, arranging meeting for sex

21-year-old Willard Yoder was arrested last week after sending hundreds of elicit text messages, including nude photos and videos, to a 12-year-old girl he didn’t know. Police arrested Willard after setting up a meeting in which he expected to have sex with the girl…. in his buggy! That’s right, Willard Yoder is Amish!

The bust went down at the Takehome Restaurant in Milroy, Indiana where police had set up a rendezvous between the girl and Willard. Here’s a line from the police report that sounds like it is from the 19th century:

The subject had advised in an earlier text that he would be driving a horse and buggy and the proposed sex act would happen inside the buggy.

An undercover police officer posed as the 12-year-old girl as Willard arrived as advertised, driving a horse-drawn buggy and blaring his stereo. (Apparently Amish creeps who think they are about to get lucky behave very similar to non-Amish creeps who think they are about to score. The report doesn’t mention what the song was , but my money is on gangsta rap.)

While audio and video recorders rolled Willard made his pitch and the bust went down. Here’s what the report says happened next:

Yoder was cooperative and walked his horse and buggy around the building and tied it to a post outside the West side of the store. I took pictures of the buggy and collected a cellular phone from the “dashboard” of the buggy. Sheriff Wayson made contact with Yoder’s parents and had them collect the horse and buggy as Yoder was arrested on scene and transported to the Fayette County Jail.

Yoder faces four felony counts of soliciting a minor and has been released on $20,000 bond. During interrogation Yoder said the elicit communications began after he contacted the girl’s cell phone “by chance” and admitted that he thought he was going to have sex with her the night he was arrested. Strangely, he thought the girl was older than she actually was, telling police he thought she was 13.

Here’s a video report from ABC News:

Here is the complete narrative of the incident from the police report transcribed:

Supplemental Narrative
Date: 12:37:43 EDT 2011
Reporting Officer: C. Pennington

Narrative of Incident:

This officer spoke with [redacted] who provided me with her cell phone. [Redacted] advised that she had many text messages which were coming from the number 812-614-[redacted]. [Redacted] signed a consent to search form allowing me to take the cell phone to the ISP Cyber Crimes Unit for a forensic examination.

Jennifer Barnes performed an examination on the phone and provided a detailed display showing almost 600 text messages between the suspect number and [Redacted]’s number along with 6 picture messages and two video messages depicting a male subject with dark hair. Five of the picture messages showed male genitalia and two showed a male subject from the chest area up.

[Redacted] advised that she was told by her 12 year old daughter, [Redacted], that someone had texted her who she did not know. [redacted] (mother) texted the number which texted her daughter’s phone and began speaking to the subject. After several text messages the subject advised that he was an Amish male named Willard. Willard went on to advise that he wanted to meet [redacted] and have sex. More than one text made mention of the fact that he was 21 years of age. He requested numerous times for her to send naked pictures, specifically requesting pictures of her genitalia. Willard advised in graphic detail, that he wanted to have intercourse and oral sex with [redacted].

After collecting a forensic report on the current text and picture messages, I spoke to Sheriff Wayson who advised that he could have personnel who could pose as a young female subject. Myself, Det. Laughlin, Capt. Jones, Wayson and Jail Officer Reece travelled to Milroy after obtaining information that Willard wanted to meet [redacted] at the Takehome Restaurant in Milroy, Indiana. I advised both Fayette County and Rush County Prosecutors about our operation and officers rallied at the restaurant at about 8:30 pm.

Officer Reece was provided the [redacted] cell phone and confirmed the meeting at the restaurant. The subject had earlier sent 5 messages asking, “Are you ready for tonight”. A picture of Reece was sent to the suspect cell phone and the meeting was again confirmed. Suspect advised that he was on his way. An audio recording device and a video recording device was used to capture the meeting. Officers located themselves within yards of Reece in front of a market just East of Takehome Restaurant. I positioned myself across the street from Reece and was able to hear a stereo which sounded as if it was coming from a vehicle from the West. The subject had advised in an earlier text that he would be driving a horse and buggy and the proposed sex act would happen inside the buggy. As the sound approached I could make out the outline of a carriage type buggy pulled by one horse and what appeared to be one occupant. The carriage pulled over into the Takehome parking lot and stopped. I could tell Reece was asking if he was “Willard”. Reece approached the carriage as it pulled up to the front of the store just East of Takehome.

I lost sight of Reese as she approached the North side of the vehicle and started across the street announcing “Police!” The male subject put his hands up outside the vehicle and exited on my command. Officers cleared the vehicle and I inquired as to his name. He advised his name was Willard Yoder. Yoder was cooperative and walked his horse and buggy around the building and tied it to a post outside the West side of the store. I took pictures of the buggy and collected a cellular phone from the “dashboard” of the buggy. Sheriff Wayson made contact with Yoder’s parents and had them collect the horse and buggy as Yoder was arrested on scene and transported to the Fayette County Jail.

Det. Laughlin and I transported Yoder to the Sheriff’s Dept and I conducted an interview in the video recording room.

Toder advised that he was a 21 year old Amish male and could not provide a social security number. Yoder advised that he had contacted the cell phone number by chance and began talking to what he thought was a 13 year old girl. Yoder advised that he thought he was going to have sex with the girl and advised that he realized that it was a bad decision and had never done anything like this before. He advised that he had sent the girl several naked pictures and requested pictures from her. He advised that he was employed at a palate shop in Milroy and had gone to school until 8th grade. He signed a waiver of rights from prior to the video recorded statement.

I took digital pictures of the text message conversation and all texts after the forensic examination and released the telphone to [redacted] because the phone was also used as her business telephone.

I collected the suspect cell phone and it will be taken to Cyber Crimes Unit for examination.

Audio and video of actual meeting will be forwarded to the Fayette County Prosecutor’s Office, along with statement forms, property release, consent to search forms and ISP forensic examination will be forwarded also.