A young Amish man driving a horse and buggy in Ohio was caught on camera blowing through a stop sign, and charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
In footage, which looked more like that of an old black and white movie than a police camera, officers are seen approaching the driver.
Originally, the Geauga County sheriff’s deputy thought that the horse was perhaps a runaway, unmanned, due to its apparent dismissal of the stop sign. Or, perhaps worse, that the buggy’s driver was having a medical emergency.
The deputy followed closely behind the buggy, and soon after, the 21-year-old Amish man pulled over in front of a barn, according to Fox8 Cleveland.
The sheriff’s deputy had been closely following behind the horse and buggy wondering if it was perhaps unmanned, but once it pulled over- he realized it was being driven by an intoxicated young Amish man
The man admitted to drinking 10 beers after the deputy noticed a strong smell of alcohol and an open beer can on the floor
Inside the buggy, the deputy detected a heavy odor of alcoholic beverages and noticed an open beer can on the floor.
The driver admitted to drinking 10 beers, and then submitted to a barrage of field sobriety tests- none which were done to the deputy’s satisfaction.
The young buggy driver was allegedly unsteady on his feet, and when he was tested for his blood alcohol content, the results revealed he was one and a half times the legal limit.
It seems his 20-year-old female companion was not charged in the incident. It is unclear if she drove the horse and buggy back to its proper home.
According to the deputy, the Amish man did several field sobriety tests, and found none to be completed satisfactorily. He was arrested and found to have a BAC one-and-a-half times above the legal limit
Investigators told Fox8 that driving while impaired, no matter the vehicle, is against the law and is hazardous to the driver, and anyone else on the road.
The young Amish man did not have a driver’s license, which is not uncommon, and that he had a prior conviction that is alcohol-related.
The incident transpired just before midnight on April 29.