Neighbors had concerns about man living with 12 girls
Some neighbors of the suburban Philadelphia man charged with sex crimes after police found him living with 12 girls say they long suspected something was wrong inside the "creepy" house with high weeds and boarded windows.
Jen Betz told 6abc.com that she saw the suspect, Lee Kaplan, 51, bring home a baby about six months ago. The Feasterville resident said she finally contacted authorities last week after seeing several young girls around the home, all in blue dresses and all looking scared and unhappy.
"I just wasn't gonna let go. I saw a couple girls last week standing in the driveway. They just looked unhappy and sad and again in the blue dresses," she told 6abc.com. "I've been telling my husband for years something isn't right, something isn't right."
Betz told philly.com that everything about Kaplan was "creepy" and that she called child welfare officials. They asked if she thought police should be sent to the home.
"I said 'absolutely,'" Betz explained. "Something needed to be done."
Police, acting on Betz's tip, went into the house Thursday and found Kaplan with the girls, ages 6 months to 18 years. The 18-year-old told authorities that she and Kaplan were the parents of a 3-year-old and the 6-month-old. Kaplan faces statutory sexual assault and other charges and is being held on $1 million bail.
The teen's Amish parents, who said they "gifted" the girl to Kaplan about four years ago after he helped them out of a financial scrap, also are being held on $1 million bail each. Police are trying to determine if all the girls who Kaplan did not father are children of the 18-year-old's parents.
Erika Knoll, one of Kaplan's neighbors, told philly.com that her mother, Bonnie Knoll, had called child-protection authorities last month to report suspicions. Another neighbor, Bob Greenfield, said he wished he had called, telling the website, "You knew something was wrong,"
Denise Horst, told nbcphiladelphia.com she had seen young girls timidly walking outside the house.
"The male would come out (and) they'd go running into the house," she said. "I was wondering what was going on. It looked liked these girls were scared."
Robert Hoopes, director of public safety for Lower Southampton Township, said police had previously visited the home on at least one occasion, but found insufficient cause to obtain a search warrant. Hoopes dismissed claims that numerous neighbors had called to complain about the home.
"What kind of call did they (make)?" Hoopes asked. "That they saw Amish people? That's the kind of calls we got. We didn't get any child abuse calls. If it was a child abuse call we would have responded."
