Officials: Man gave beer to Amish boys, caused buggy crash
LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania man, who prosecutors say was drunk when he handed out beers to Amish boys and yelled “Rumspringa” before causing a crash with their horse-drawn buggy, has been sentenced.
A Lancaster County Court judge on Tuesday ordered Thomas Candler Felts, of Nottingham, to serve at least a month in prison. Felts pleaded guilty in March to misdemeanor counts of DUI and furnishing alcohol to minors.
Prosecutors say Felts approached group of Amish boys at a convenience store parking lot in August. He handed them cans of Yuengling (YING’-ling) and asked them about Rumspringa, a tradition where Amish adolescents are free of religious constraints before they join the church.
They say he later passed the buggy on a road and screamed “Rumspringa!” before slamming on the brakes, causing the buggy to smash into his car.