2 girls charged with extorting Utah mayor, making false baby trafficking allegations

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GOSHEN, Utah County — Two girls accused of harassing the mayor of the city of Goshen, partly, by falsely claiming on social media he’s concerned in baby human trafficking are going through legal expenses accusing them of demanding a big sum of cash to ensure that them to cease the harassment.

Amanda Kaye Bachman, 51, and Beth Marilyn Marie Schardine, 32, each of Goshen, had been charged Friday in 4th District Court docket with two counts of theft by extortion and bribery to affect an official or political actions, second-degree felonies; plus digital communication harassment, a category A misdemeanor; and legal defamation, a category B misdemeanor.

On Jan. 10, Utah County sheriff’s deputies served a courtroom order “Writ of Help to Take away a Baby” at Bachman’s Goshen residence. In an obvious baby custody battle with a 3-year-old lady’s father, deputies had two warrants to take away the kid from Bachman’s residence and place the lady in state protecting custody, based on charging paperwork.

The kid was “taken from Bachman by means of lawful courts order” and returned to her father, the fees state.

The lady’s mom was dwelling with Bachman on the time. When deputies went to the house, nevertheless, Bachman claimed the lady wasn’t there and wouldn’t enable deputies to serve their warrant, based on the fees. Deputies stated after makes an attempt to bodily forestall them from getting into, they had been ultimately capable of enter the house and took the kid into protecting custody.

Bachman was charged in that case with obstruction of justice, a category A misdemeanor.

Shortly after, nevertheless, Bachman posted on her Fb web page and different social media apps that the 3-year-old had been kidnapped by the Utah County Sheriff’s Workplace and bought into human trafficking.

The social media assaults later centered on two native church leaders in Goshen. A kind of males, Steven Staheli, can be the mayor of Goshen.

On Feb. 12, Staheli filed a report with the Utah County Sheriff’s Workplace in opposition to Bachman and Schardine, saying he was the sufferer of “ongoing harassment” from the ladies and that he and the second man had been being topic to “lies and distortions” and that the ladies had been “demanding cost for $1 million,” charging paperwork state.

The mayor stated the ladies had despatched a message stating that he and the second man “had been being placed on discover” {that a} lawsuit can be filed in opposition to them “for spiritual persecution and hate crimes. A portion of one of many messages stated: ‘If you want to avoid wasting any a part of your reputations, right here is the supply: (The three-year-old lady) is returned instantly. You reinstate each mine and Mandy’s memberships in full, with our recommends. You get to pay us punitive damages for the precise property injury you aided in and allowed, in addition to the injury you inflicted on our reputations — $1 million,”‘ based on the fees.

Prosecutors say the 2 girls have been making posts on social media websites falsely claiming the 2 males are trafficking kids.

The 2 girls additionally made posters and “posted them all around the Goshen” saying town is a “baby trafficking space,” the fees state. “The defendants put up accusations on social media (accounts of) Amanda Bachman, Ally Cohen, and Widespread Sense Remedy accusing (the 2 males) of kid trafficking.

“Beth Schardine, as effectively, printed practically the precise texts on social media websites. Each girls are making false accusations and threats that have an effect on (the boys’s) reputations falsely. Each Amanda Bachman and Beth Schardine have threatened if they do not get $1 million … accusations and publications (and) harassments will develop and proceed,” the charging paperwork say. “The falsehoods and lies printed by Bachman and Schardine have triggered psychological and emotional well being issues, each professionally and personally” for the 2 males.

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