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Drunk Amish Teen's Buggy Chase: NY Cops Spot Can of Beer in Buggy

By Stephanie Rabiner, Esq. on July 20, 2011 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

A 17-year-old Amish youth in Conewango, N.Y. has been arrested for leading police on what can only be described as an alcohol-induced buggy chase.

New York police spotted the underage Amish in his horse-drawn buggy, reportedly holding a can of beer in his buggy. 

When officers attempted to speak with Lewis D. Hostetler early Monday morning, the Amish teen reportedly became belligerent, urged his horses to action, and then tore off.

Given the maximum speed of a horse and buggy, The Buffalo News reports that Hostetler didn't get far, as cooler head's prevailed and he decided to end the drunken buggy chase and pull over.

Released on bail, Hostetler was charged with resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration, unlawful possession of alcohol by a minor, failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, insufficient tail lamps, and littering.

That's right, he led police on a buggy chase and then got busted for tossing a beer can onto the highway and not outfitting his carriage with proper tail lights.

Surprisingly enough, there is no indication that Conewango prosecutors have charged him with driving under the influence, even though he appears to have been drunk.

Oddly enough, with a few exceptions, the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Code defines motor vehicle as any vehicle that is "propelled by any power other than muscular power."

This would appear to include horse power, and of course, the requisite buggy.

The news of the drunk Amish teen's antics come just as researchers released a study showing the vast growth of Amish communities in southwest and upstate New York.

Lewis D. Hostetler is expected back in court sometime soon, according to The Buffalo News. Hopefully he won't lead police on another buggy chase before then.

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