CLHS of Wayne/Holmes to present legal historical program

The County Line Historical Society of Wayne/Holmes will host the program, 1947 Amish “Miting” Trial, on April 19 at 1 p.m. at the Historic Shreve Presbyterian Church, 343 N. Market St., Shreve.

Andrew J. Yoder brought the action against four officers and preachers of the Amish-Mennonite church of the Helmuth District. Yoder said the “mite” continued after he withdrew from the church and joined another.

They interfered with his means of making a living, with family life, with social life and his health. He bought a 1932 Chevrolet car in an attempt to transport his 1-year-old daughter to Wooster for medical treatments.

The program is presented from the perspective of Judge Mark K. Wiest, who retired in 2023 after 43 years as a trial judge, handling civil, criminal and divorce cases during his time on the bench. During the last 20 years, he spent his time, both formally and informally, attempting to settle disputes without trial. The more formal method was the settlement conference, with the judge conducting hundreds of these over the years.

Since retiring, he has been doing private mediations and also serves as a visiting judge by assignment of the chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court in more than 25 counties and continues to conduct settlement conferences in the cases assigned to him.

Wiest earned his BA at Marietta College in 1968 and Juris Doctor at The University of Cincinnati College of Law in 1972. He started his career as a general practitioner at Taggart, Cox & Hays in Wooster from 1972-79. He served as Wayne County Municipal judge from 1980-82 and Wayne County Common Pleas judge from 1983-2023.

The program has no admission fee, and parking is across Market Street from the church.