Midwest Woman Steals Amish Horse And Buggy From Walmart Lot

Okay, so let's pretend that you're Amish and that you've taken your horse and buggy to your local Walmart to grab some supplies. You probably figure that the worst that could happen would be some kids wanting to take selfies with your horse, or maybe having to shovel up a pile of poop your horse left in the parking lot while you were inside.

You wouldn't expect that during your time inside the Walmart someone would decide to become a character from the movie Gone In 60 Seconds and take off with both your horse and buggy.

At least, unlike the movie, the tires probably weren't smoking and squealing as the buggy left the parking lot.

Up Until Learning About This Crime, I Must Admit That I Knew Very Little About Amish Buggies

But then again, my exposure to Amish culture has been pretty much limited to finely-crafted oak furniture, and the Harrison Ford movie "Witness."

However, in reading up a little bit on Amish buggies, I learned several things from a piece at  AmishAmerica.com:

• You can order luxury options on an Amish buggy, including a speedometer, cup holders, and a propane heater.
• Brakes on Amish buggies are usually drum-style. However a few use disc brakes built for dune buggies.
• To power lighting, buggies may be loaded with batteries (electric drill variety), including spares for long journeys. Someone recently attempted a buggy alternator, but according to the buggy builder, “it never took off."
• Some buggies are now made using thermally modified wood. This means they “cook the livin’ daylights out of it” to reduce it to near-zero-percent moisture. This makes it rot-resistant.
• The average cost of a buggy is around about $8,000 (not counting upkeep on the horse), but you could pay much more.

As for how long you'll get out of your Amish buggy, it can vary, but 20-30 years before having to do any major rebuilding is common, with some buggies lasting 50 years or more.

The Incident Took Place Over The Weekend In Sturgis, Michigan Which Is Located Near A Large Amish Community In Northern Indiana

As you can see, the good news is that the horse and buggy were both fine when they were found, and the suspect, who was already known to police, is in custody and facing multiple charges.

Don't be surprised if the next time you see a parked Amish buggy that there's The Club attached to the reins. You can't be too careful.