Woman Steals Amish Horse And Buggy From MI Walmart: Police

STURGIS, MI — A woman was arrested Saturday after police said she stole an Amish horse and buggy in Sturgis.

Police said the Amish family parked the horse and buggy at a Walmart in the 1500 block of S. Centerville Road at 5:30 p.m. while they were shopping inside the store.

A truck driver told police he saw a woman, whom he described to officers, take the horse and buggy from the parking lot, police said.

Officers found the unoccupied horse and wagon parked in the 1200 block of East Chicago Road later in the evening, police said.

Officers found the suspected thief, a 31-year-old woman, whom police reported having contact with earlier in the day, at a nearby motel, police said.

Officers then arrested the woman in connection with the theft without incident, police said.

The woman was charged with larceny and larceny of livestock. She was placed in the St. Joseph County Jail. Her name was not immediately released.

The horse was not injured, and the buggy and animal were returned to the family, police said.

Sturgis is located near a large Amish community in northern Indiana. Members of the community often go to Sturgis to shop, and many businesses, including Walmart, have posts and parking areas away from general motor traffic for securing horses and buggies.