Man driving horse and buggy charged with DUI, multiple felonies after wreck

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SMITHS GROVE, Ky. – A man driving a horse-drawn buggy Tuesday night is accused of sideswiping a car while his wife and seven children were inside the buggy and now faces 10 felony charges.

Rueben Andy Yoder, 34, of Smiths Grove, was charged with driving a non-motorized vehicle while under the influence, nine counts of first-degree wanton endangerment and one count of first-degree criminal mischief.

Yoder is accused of driving his horse-drawn buggy Tuesday night while his wife and children were passengers when the buggy collided with a vehicle, according to his arrest citation.

Smiths Grove Police Officer Wes Jenkins wrote in the citation that Yoder sideswiped a vehicle on Hydro Pondsville Road near the intersection of T. Elkins Road.

When Jenkins responded to the collision, he noted Yoder’s bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and the smell of alcohol coming from him, according to the citation.

Yoder had poor balance and told Jenkins he had consumed alcohol, according to the citation.

Yoder initially told Jenkins one of his children was driving the buggy. Yoder’s children told Jenkins their father was the driver, according to the citation. The children ranged in age from 9 months old to 12 years old.

Yoder failed standard field sobriety tests and consented to a preliminary breath test at the scene. That test indicated the presence of alcohol. He was taken into custody and taken to The Medical Center where he was read the implied consent law and refused to take a blood test, according to the citation.

Medical staff cleared Yoder and he was lodged in the Warren County Regional Jail.

The other vehicle sustained moderate damage to the front bumper and driver’s side, according to the citation. No injuries were noted in the arrest citation.

Yoder was arraigned in Warren District Court Wednesday morning.

When it comes to DUI’s, Amy Milliken, Warren County Attorney, says, “a motorized vehicle offense carries greater penalties than an non-motorized vehicle offense.”

The Smiths Grove Police Chief, Johnny Vance, hasn’t witnessed this before saying, “I’m sure it’s happened, but I’ve never seen it.”

Chief Vance also says, “In the state of Kentucky, you can get a DUI on anything motorized or not.”