Kauffman Charged with 18 Felony Counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct for Incestuous Abuse
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Mervin Kauffman is facing 18 felony charges, which include nine counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, five counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, one count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, one count of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct, and two counts of fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct. If convicted, he could face a maximum of 449 years in prison and fines totaling $610,000.
According to court documents, on September 9, 2023, the Todd County Sheriff’s Office received an anonymous report of incestuous sexual abuse between Kauffman and his minor sister, E.C.K., which resulted in a pregnancy and birth in the summer of 2023.
Reports indicated that more than one sister was impregnated.
Kauffman had left the state and was residing in Missouri.
Investigators interviewed the parents, M.K. and C.K., Lavern Kauffman, and six daughters.
The parents reported that Kauffman wished to be sent to the Mercy and Truth Retreat, a community counseling facility in Missouri, and Kauffman was relocated to Michigan at the order of the Amish community bishops.
M.K. reported that her daughters—S.C.K., L.C.K., E.C.K., M.C.K., R.C.K., and I.C.K.—all disclosed being sexually abused by Kauffman. He allegedly wrote them notes on the nights the assaults occurred, pressuring them to submit to the abuse.
L.C.K. had been sexually abused in the past and gave birth to a stillborn baby in 2019.
Investigators also interviewed the clinical director of Mercy and Truth Retreat, who reported that three of the sisters—E.C.K., M.C.K., and L.C.K.—had been sexually abused by Lavern Kauffman, their brother.
The sisters were between 9 and 14 years old when the assaults began...
