Share
Commentary

2 Amish Men, 1 Horse Flee Police After Buggy Is Pulled Over for DUI - Men Still at Large

Share

Drunk driving is sadly anodyne enough that it takes a lot for a DUI to register on the national level.

The last one I personally remember was Beto O’Rourke’s youthful indiscretion making the news during the 2018 Texas senatorial election — and really, there were so many other reasons to loathe Robert Francis that his BAC at age 26 didn’t quite register with me.

However, as DUI arrest stories go, I think it would be difficult to beat two Amish men in a buggy with a 12-pack of Michelob Ultra on the roof.

And, if you didn’t think that modern beer still cohered with the Weltanschauung of a religious sect that eschews electricity from the grid, consider the fact the buggy was also outfitted with a stereo system.

According to CNN, the two men fled after being stopped by deputies with the Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio, leaving their horse and the rather decked-out buggy behind.

Trending:
Hillary Clinton Jumps Into Trump 'Bloodbath' Frenzy with a Question, Doesn't Want to Hear the Answers

The incident happened in the town of North Bloomfield, described by WPVI-TV as the epicenter of Trumbull County’s Amish community.

Deputy Eric Hermsdorfer says that he encountered the buggy on the early morning of Sept. 15; the men inside were apparently drinking spiked iced tea and they had a dozen Michelob Ultras to spare.

Even if you’re in a buggy, you can’t just blow a .12 and get away with it despite the fact you’ve got one horsepower and you’re on the side of the road. Personal responsibility still applies.

“Unfortunately they’re not licensed, as far as the buggy goes, but it is a vehicle. It’s on the roadway. And the [DUI] laws do apply,” Chief Deputy Joe Dragovich from the Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office said.

Do you think horse-drawn buggies should be subject to DUIs?

“You’re not allowed to drink and drive or operate a buggy,” he continued.

An additional misfortune is that we don’t know what they would have blown in the breathalyzer had they been subjected to a sobriety test.

That isn’t because the two men were able to get out of a breathalyzer due to the fact they had a religious objection to the newfangled technology.

Instead, they fled into thick nearby woods to avoid being tested in the first place — and they’re still at large.

Deputies said that when they tried to stop the men and question them about drinking, the two decided to ditch the horse, buggy and stereo.

Related:
Devout Christian and MLB Legend Darryl Strawberry Hospitalized After Medical Emergency, Still Glorifies God


The horse had the same idea and took off up the road. However, Hermsdorfer was able to catch up with him.

So far, no one has come forward to claim either the horse — currently with a local farmer — or the buggy. (Or the stereo, for that matter.)

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

If the two men do come forward, they could be charged with failure to comply with the deputy’s commands to stop.

And, who knows? If Beto’s example holds, one of them could be the first serious Amish presidential candidate.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
, , ,
Share
C. Douglas Golden is a writer who splits his time between the United States and Southeast Asia. Specializing in political commentary and world affairs, he's written for Conservative Tribune and The Western Journal since 2014.
C. Douglas Golden is a writer who splits his time between the United States and Southeast Asia. Specializing in political commentary and world affairs, he's written for Conservative Tribune and The Western Journal since 2014. Aside from politics, he enjoys spending time with his wife, literature (especially British comic novels and modern Japanese lit), indie rock, coffee, Formula One and football (of both American and world varieties).
Birthplace
Morristown, New Jersey
Education
Catholic University of America
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish
Topics of Expertise
American Politics, World Politics, Culture




Conversation