A 31-year-old woman in Michigan is alleged to have stolen an Amish family’s horse and buggy Saturday while they were shopping at Walmart, police said.
Police eventually recovered the horse and buggy as well as arrested the suspect at a motel later that evening, a Sturgis Department of Public Safety (SDPS) press release stated. (RELATED: Man Out On Bail Crashes Into Amish Horse And Buggy)
The horse was returned to the Amish family unharmed, SDPS said. The police were able to identify the suspect thanks to a description of her given by a truck driver.
“A truck driver, parked in the Walmart lot, had seen a female steal the buggy. He gave police a description of the female suspect,” the SDPS press release read.
Amish horse and buggy stolen from Walmart parking lot while family shopped https://t.co/t8V3SCVIJl pic.twitter.com/DENuqEZbJR
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The suspect was locked up in jail on charges of larceny and larceny of livestock and has yet to face an arraignment, SDPS said. Police had already contacted the suspect prior to the alleged theft that same day at Walmart, but they did not disclose the nature of this exchange or the reason for it.
Michigan has the sixth largest Amish population standing at around 11,000 people, according to Amish America. The Amish tend to shop at Walmart and other such supermarket chains because they “appreciate the large quantities and low prices” that these stores have to offer. For those Amish who do not live near such a shopping outlet, it is not uncommon for them to hire a “Amish taxi” (a van) for once-a-month shopping outings there.