Elderly Mennonite Women Attacked In Apparent Hate Crime
Lancaster, PA — Three elderly Mennonite women were attacked with a stun gun and tied up during a violent home invasion on Friday.
The attack occurred when the suspect posed as an insurance salesman, in order to gain access to the home in Clay township, reports NBC Philadelphia.
There were two women at the house when the attack began, but a third woman showed up and was attacked and restrained by the assaulter.
The man reportedly attacked the women for their faith and ransacked the home, pouring chemicals on the floors and furniture. The suspect also read passages from the women’s bible before he destroyed it, claiming that he was a Mennonite once as well.
The suspect then fled with cash and other valuables, leaving the Mennonite women tied up. They were found several hours later by a relative who called the Northern Lancaster County Regional Police Department.
ABC News notes that police captured the suspect and have charged him with attacking the elderly Mennonite women. The man, 22-year-old Taylor Holt, is facing counts of aggravated assault, ethnic intimidation, and burglary.
The victims in the attack were sisters between the ages of 84 and 90. David Steffen, the police chief for Northern Lancaster county, stated that he will be pursuing the attacks as a hate crime and is planning to schedule a news conference for Monday.
The man who attacked three Mennonite women has no known address and is being held at the jail on $1 million bail. It is not yet clear if he has an attorney.
