A 51-year-old Bucks County man was arrested after he was found living with 12 girls, including a teenager he considered his wife, and a baby and a toddler he fathered with her, authorities said Friday.

Lee Kaplan was arrested Thursday morning at his home on the 400 block of Old Street Road in Lower Southampton after an anonymous tip led county child welfare workers and police to his door, Lower Southampton police Lt. John Krimmel said.

Some of the children were hiding in the small house.

"We kept finding more children," Krimmel said. "It's just a crazy situation."

The oldest girl, now 18, told police she was the mother of two of the girls, a 3-year-old and a 6-month-old, Krimmel said.

The teen's parents, Daniel and Savilla Stoltzfus, of Quarryville, Lancaster County, also were arrested after they told police they had "gifted" their daughter to Kaplan four years ago.

The girl was 14 at the time, and Daniel Stoltzfus gave her to Kaplan as thanks "for helping his family out of financial ruin," according to the criminal complaints.

The Stoltzfuses said they were the parents of all of the children except the two youngest, who were their grandchildren, Bucks County District Attorney David Heckler said. Officials on Friday still were trying to determine how the other nine children came to be living with Kaplan, and whether he had abused any of them.

"We've got a ways to go to figure out what's really going on here," Heckler said.

Heckler described the Stoltzfuses as "straightforward."

They told police they were going to lose their farm until Kaplan "comes along and gives them money somehow," possibly employing Daniel Stoltzfus in a scrap business.

Once their farm was saved, Daniel Stoltzfus, now 43, did some internet research and concluded that it was legal to give their daughter to Kaplan, Heckler said.

Savilla Stoltzfus, 42, was at Kaplan's house when the child-welfare check was made, Heckler said.

The Stoltzfuses "think he's a wonderful man," Heckler said.

Some of the girls also said good things about Kaplan, Heckler said, describing them as "brainwashed" by Kaplan.

Kaplan and the 18-year-old were not married, but Heckler said they acted as husband and wife.

The girls apparently did not attend school and it was unclear if they had ever been to a doctor, Heckler said. They did not appear to be in bad health and did not show visible signs of trauma, he said.

Because of an apparent Amish influence on the children, police asked child-welfare workers from Lancaster County who are familiar with Amish culture to interview the children, Krimmel said.

Police were unable to find birth certificates for any of the children and said they did not have Social Security numbers.

Heckler said all of the children are in protective custody and are together.

Kaplan and the Stoltzfuses each are being held on $1 million bail.

Kaplan was charged with two counts of statutory sexual assault and related offenses. Daniel Stoltzfus was charged with criminal

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