Trumbull County Sheriff's OfficeWhen you think of the Amish population, certain things come to mind: agriculture, butter-churning and simple, no-frills living. However, it turns out there’s some rebels in their midst.
Two Amish men are on the run from the police after their horse-drawn buggy was pulled over early on Sunday morning (September 15).
The Trumbull County sheriff’s deputies in North Bloomfield, Ohio, saw the gentlemen chugging beer aboard their buggy.
PAAfter pulling them over, the drunken pair ran off into the woodland, leaving the horse continuing down the road.
According to Fox 8, Deputies not only found a 12-pack of Michelob Ultras on top of the buggy with several open bottles inside, but it turns out this particular Amish duo liked to pimp their ride: there was a massive stereo system.
Officers towed the buggy and found someone to take care of the horse until the owners come forward.
PAThe Amish are a Christian group that originated with Anabaptist Swiss-Germans in 16th-century Europe. Traditionally avoiding modern technologies, like electricity – one has to imagine a hi-fi system wouldn’t be welcomed in their community.
However, alcohol is a different matter – while some Amish groups prohibit it all together, others are more relaxed.
As it would turn out, crime rates among the Amish are actually on the rise, with drink-driving being a recurring issue.
PALaw-enforcement officials from Lancaster County say that of the 9,000 people currently under court supervision, around 100 of them are Amish and Old Order Mennonites. It’s a small number, but it’s still an increase.
A 70-year-old man and religious leader from Leola, who asked to remain unnamed, told NBC:
There are more of us now… 30 or 50 years ago, the church could keep a tighter cap on it.
Today, they are more apt to get into trouble. Years ago, there didn’t seem to be as many [crimes].
In April this year, a a police dashcam caught a 21-year-old Amish man in Ohio running a stop sign, who admitted to drinking 10 beers, according to the New York Post.
PAIn June, Reuben Yoder, 34, was arrested after colliding with a car at a Kentucky interchange while under the influence of alcohol, according to the Bowling Green Daily News as per the New York Post.
Ohio is home to the largest Amish community in the world – their population in Ohio grew 22% between 2010 and 2019, up from 58,000 to 76,000.
That number is more than double the 1992 population, which was just below 35,000.
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After graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University with an NCTJ and BCTJ-accredited Multimedia Journalism degree, Cameron ventured into the world of print journalism at The National, while also working as a freelance film journalist on the side, becoming an accredited Rotten Tomatoes critic in the process. He’s now left his Scottish homelands and took up residence at UNILAD as a journalist.