DARLINGTON - An Amish teenager charged with breaking into a house and raping a girl will make a plea on his charges on May 1 after the hearing was delayed Monday.
Daniel Esh Fisher, 18, currently of Argyle, appeared in court Monday on charges of second-degree sexual assault, burglary, false imprisonment, strangulation and exposing a child's genitals.
Fisher was charged after an incident April 8, 2016, when he reportedly broke into a Fayette residence and raped an underage girl there after tying her down.
According to police reports, Fisher walked more than 2 miles to the victim's residence, waited until all lights inside were extinguished, entered through an unlocked window and moved throughout the house until he found a bedroom whose sole occupant was female.
Fisher then removed the victim's clothes before binding and gagging her. Fisher also reportedly prevented the victim from crying out by pressing his hand against her mouth and nose.
Fisher was scheduled to make a plea on his charges Monday, but his attorney, Jane Bucher, requested additional time to prepare.
However, Lafayette County District Attorney Jenna Gill filed a plea agreement in December 2016. That agreement proposes that Fisher plead guilty to the charges of sexual assault and exposing genitals, in exchange for dismissing the remaining charges.
The agreement also stipulates that Gill would recommend a withheld sentence of 15 years of probation, with one year of jail time as a condition of that probation. The maximum possible sentence Fisher could face on the proposed guilty charges is 26.5 years in prison.
In August of 2016, Fisher's bond was altered to allow him to travel to Pennsylvania for treatment at Whispering Hope, a facility that provides treatment and counseling to Amish and Mennonite men with marital or mental health issues.
It is unclear whether Fisher's plea will adhere to the terms of the December agreement.
Daniel Esh Fisher, 18, currently of Argyle, appeared in court Monday on charges of second-degree sexual assault, burglary, false imprisonment, strangulation and exposing a child's genitals.
Fisher was charged after an incident April 8, 2016, when he reportedly broke into a Fayette residence and raped an underage girl there after tying her down.
According to police reports, Fisher walked more than 2 miles to the victim's residence, waited until all lights inside were extinguished, entered through an unlocked window and moved throughout the house until he found a bedroom whose sole occupant was female.
Fisher then removed the victim's clothes before binding and gagging her. Fisher also reportedly prevented the victim from crying out by pressing his hand against her mouth and nose.
Fisher was scheduled to make a plea on his charges Monday, but his attorney, Jane Bucher, requested additional time to prepare.
However, Lafayette County District Attorney Jenna Gill filed a plea agreement in December 2016. That agreement proposes that Fisher plead guilty to the charges of sexual assault and exposing genitals, in exchange for dismissing the remaining charges.
The agreement also stipulates that Gill would recommend a withheld sentence of 15 years of probation, with one year of jail time as a condition of that probation. The maximum possible sentence Fisher could face on the proposed guilty charges is 26.5 years in prison.
In August of 2016, Fisher's bond was altered to allow him to travel to Pennsylvania for treatment at Whispering Hope, a facility that provides treatment and counseling to Amish and Mennonite men with marital or mental health issues.
It is unclear whether Fisher's plea will adhere to the terms of the December agreement.