Catlin pleads not guilty

PENN YAN--The upcoming case of Elizabeth Catlin has gained national attention with her indictment late last year on 95 counts related to helping Mennonite women with childbirth. With supporters showing up in droves at court appearances and even helping to raise bail, the charges against Catlin could potentially add up to hundreds of years of prison time if the felony maximums are added together.
A number of national media outlets have picked up on the story with the New York Times writing "She helped deliver hundreds of babies. Then she was arrested," last March. A story last week by Yahoo appeared on their front search page and had over 2,000 comments in only a few hours. A GoFundMe page started last year currently has $20,995 raised of a $50,000 goal, with donations coming in daily.
Last week in Penn Yan, Catlin entered a not guilty plea to all 95 charges she is facing. One of the most serious is criminally negligent homicide (class E felony) and the highest level offense is possession of a forged instrument (31 counts, class D felonies). There are also 31 counts of second degree identity theft (class E felonies), falsifying business records (class E felonies) and the unauthorized practice of a profession (class E felony).
The charges stemmed from a coordinated investigation by the state police, the state education department and the District Attorney's Office in the unlawful practice of the profession of midwifery.