Amish horse and buggy stolen from Walmart parking lot while family shopped

An Amish family had their horse and buggy stolen while they shopped at a Michigan Walmart, police say.

The theft took place on Saturday at approximately 5:30 p.m. in the town of Sturgis, Michigan – some 95 miles south of Grand Rapids near the Indiana border – when the Sturgis Department of Public Safety were called to the Walmart on 1500 S. Centerville Road to a report of a stolen Amish buggy and horse from the establishment’s parking lot, authorities said.

“A truck driver, parked in the Walmart lot, had seen a female steal the buggy,” according to a statement from the Sturgis Department of Public Safety. “He gave police a description of the female suspect.”

As it turns out, police had already made contact with the 31-year-old female suspect earlier in the day at the same Walmart, though officials did not elaborate on why they had spoken to her or what the reason behind the contact was.

Police eventually found the stolen horse and buggy later the same evening and were able to find the alleged unnamed suspect at a nearby motel where she was arrested without incident, according to authorities.

The suspect was subsequently lodged at the St. Joseph County Jail on the charges of larceny and larceny of livestock. She is currently pending an arraignment.

The horse was returned to the family, along with their buggy, following the incident and police said the animal was unharmed during the ordeal.