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Amos Ebersol, 60, of the 500 block of South Fairmont Road, Ephrata, pleaded guilty to numerous felonies and misdemeanors for raping and sexually assaulting his daughters, which was accepted by Judge David Ashworth on Friday, Oct. 4, according to the DA. He was sentenced to spend 12 to 24 years in state prison.
Ebersol was charged with the following on Wednesday, March 20, according to his court docket:
- Felony Rape (three counts).
- Felony Incest (three counts).
- Felony Aggravated Indecent Assault with a person under 16 years of age (three counts).
- Felony Contact or Communication with a Minor - Sexual Offenses (three counts).
- Felony Aggravated Indecent Assault - Forcible Compulsion (three counts).
- Misdemeanor Corruption of Minors (three counts).
It is not immediately clear if he pleaded guilty to all of the charges as court dockets have yet to be updated at the time of publishing.
Following a report by Child and Youth Services that "stated Ebersol had inappropriately touched a juvenile victim," the Ephrata Borough Police Department, detectives began investigating the alleged assault of the youngest daughter on October 18, 2022, as detailed in a release by the county district attorney's office.
All of the women said these rapes occurred either in the family barn or buggy, according to the affidavit, as Daily Voice previously reported.
The three sisters all said they were 14 years old when the rapes began and one said they continued until she was 20 years old and her father would "forcefully pull her toward him to engage in sex," as stated in the affidavit.
The women said these rapes happened from 2006 until 2022 and the end date of the assaults is 2024, according to the affidavit.
Before the police investigation, one of the sister's husbands confronted Ebersol with "concerns about him sexually assaulting family members," as stated in the affidavit.
While other family members were present, Ebersol made the following statements according to the affidavit:
"I guess I used the girls in a way I shouldn't.I didn't think it was that bad."
The “horrendous nature” of the offenses has had a deeply negative impact on Ebersol’s family and community, Judge Ashworth said.
The DA wrote the following about Ebersol in court;
"When asked by the court if he wished to make a statement, Ebersol said he was unsure what he could say. He wiped tears away with a red handkerchief before being handcuffed and led from the courtroom to begin his sentence."
Assistant District Attorney Steve Sess, who prosecuted the case, said the three victims “want to put this in their past and move on with their lives.”
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