Police Searching for Amish Men Over Potential Drunken Buggy Driving

Authorities are looking for two Amish men after they effectively evaded police officers attempting to pull over their horse and buggy. 

The Trumbull County Sherriff’s Office claims they came across two men operating a horse-drawn cart outfitted with a massive stereo system on Sept. 15. They had a 12-pack of Michelob Ultra between them. When deputy Eric Hermsdorfer tried to stop the buggy to ask if they had been drinking and driving, the two Amish men cheesed it into the woods. The horse also ran, but the officer was able to catch up to the out-of-control buggy and stop it. 

Now, police are asking the men to come forward and claim their horse, noting that they might be charged with failure to comply.

Chief Deputy Joe Dragovich told CNN that drunk driving statutes still apply to buggies, as they are vehicles using the road. He said that fear of arrest is likely what’s keeping the men from collecting their buggy, which has been turned over to a local farmer.  

“Maybe there’s just that fear of the consequences — and that would be a reality check for them, that there are consequences,” he said. 

Amish men being arrested for drunken buggy operation is not unheard of. Four men in Western New York were charged with drunk driving after colliding with a police car back in 2012. Another Amish teen that same year led police in New York on a low-speed chase, eventually turning his buggy over and being charged with drunk driving and overdriving an animal.