Written by Don Byrd
The Graves County District Court in Western Kentucky sentenced the first of a group Amish men convicted of violating state safety statutes to 10 days in jail yesterday. The men have refused to pay a fine for the infraction.
“I totally understand your objection,” the judge told Byler. “But you’re in violation, and it’s not up to me to change the law. It doesn’t really matter what I think about any of this.”
The men belong to a conservative breakaway group of Amish known as Swartzentruber. They live simply, with no electricity, plumbing or appliances. But in recent years they have been running afoul of the law here for refusing to use the triangles on their buggies, and some were sent to jail last year.
