Woman Charged In Vandalism Spree Targeting Amish – Buggy Was Stolen & Pushed Off Bridge (Missouri)
This is a bizarre case out of Missouri with some nasty, dangerous things done to destroy Amish-owned property, including a buggy – and possibly a home.
A woman in Lawrence County, Missouri has been charged in a vandalism case that started with a stolen Amish buggy pushed off a bridge into a creek, and that investigators say also involved a house that burned to the ground.
Rachel Lea Klemp, 35, of Stotts City (also identified in court documents as Rachel Huff) faces felony charges of first-degree property damage, first-degree harassment, and second-degree burglary, and a misdemeanor count of first-degree trespassing.
Here’s how the case came on the authorities’ radar, via OzarksFirst:
According to court documents, the case began July 18, when a Missouri Department of Conservation agent encountered several people attempting to pull an Amish buggy out of a creek.
Investigators learned that the buggy had been stolen from an Amish residence and dragged behind a side-by-side.
I had to look up side-by-side – if you’re wondering too, it’s a type of off-road vehicle with side-by-side seating. The damage continued in frankly what seems like a juvenile or even creepy way, depending how you look at it:
Court documents describe how members of the group allegedly used knives to cut the buggy’s canvas and a sledgehammer to damage it further.
The buggy was then dragged along county roads, where someone allegedly tried to swing it into a mailbox.
Eventually, the group reached a bridge north of Spring River, where members reportedly tried to set the buggy on fire before pushing it approximately 15 feet into the water below.
This seems like the work of someone with a grudge against the Amish. That, or just dumb acts of vandalism that you might expect teens to do – not someone in their 30s. According to court documents, replacing the buggy would cost an estimated $13,000 to $14,000.
That’s far from all, however. Investigators say the side-by-side was also driven into a cornfield. There the driver drove in circles through the crops and “became lost”, causing an estimated $2,500 in damage to the farmer’s field.
A witness also told police that someone in the group shot a Roman candle at a parked pickup, and that the side-by-side nearly collided with an ATV rider at a railroad crossing.
Again, this sounds like the actions of juvenile delinquents, not someone well into adulthood. Klemp is the only one whose age has been reported, but her husband is allegedly involved, so that’s at least one other adult.
Lawrence County lies in southwestern Missouri, west of Springfield. It has two Amish communities. The larger is the Verona settlement, home to an estimated 435 Amish people. And there is a single-district community near Mount Vernon. The reports do not say which community the victims belong to.
And this isn’t the end of the story – it takes an even stupider turn that may end up incriminating members of the group in further crimes.
Voicemail Captured Talk Of Stealing A Buggy
Part of the evidence in the case is a phone call that somehow was never hung up. Someone had called a member of the Amish community. The line stayed open long enough to record a conversation. KZRG names the people heard on that recording and what they discussed:
Investigators then uncovered an accidental voicemail recording where Klemp’s husband, Jimmie Huff, and Levi Boggs talked about stealing an Amish buggy and testing how far an Amish horse could run.
Klemp herself is not identified as one of the voices on the recording.
A Second Amish Property Vandalized
The next piece of information makes it sound like the people involved were really on a vandalism spree:
The investigation also revealed extensive vandalism at another Amish property.
Justin Sullivan told investigators that six people, including Klemp, entered the property after walking through the woods from Huff’s residence.
Sullivan alleged Klemp spray-painted graffiti while others smashed windows, destroyed barn lights, damaged electrical equipment, and broke ceiling fans.
Ceiling fans and electrical equipment don’t immediately sound like an Old Order Amish property, but there are pneumatic ceiling fans used in some communities, and “electrical equipment” is a very general description.
Court documents also describe glue poured onto concrete footings near a residence. When investigators visited later, they documented broken glass, damaged equipment, and spray paint on the barn floor.
Did they burn down a house as well?
The investigation also covers a house that burned down. In that case the fire destroyed a second structure and a zero-turn mower as well.
The possible connection there: court documents say some members of the group talked about setting the house on fire, but they do not accuse Klemp of starting it. Neither news report says whether the house belonged to an Amish family, however.
On August 3, investigators searched a residence belonging to Huff and Klemp. They seized three cellphones, a sledgehammer handle, a gas can, and a piece of an Amish buggy.
KZRG notes that Klemp is not charged with stealing the buggy or with setting the house on fire. As of the OzarksFirst report, the others named in court documents did not appear to have been charged.
But she is clearly not the only one involved and I’d expect we’ll be seeing further charges brought for this nasty series of crimes.
The Amish have of course been targeted in property crimes elsewhere. In 2023, Pennsylvania State Police arrested five teenagers in connection with 21 break-ins in the Mercer County Amish community. Just this September, police in Lancaster County said a man stole over $82,000 in power tools from construction sites, mostly belonging to Amish builders.
Those crimes were motivated by financial gain. These on the other hand were apparently driven by a desire for stupid destruction. We don’t know the motives of the perpetrators, but they may have been driven by dislike of or bigotry against the Amish, a well-documented phenomenon.
Klemp is scheduled to appear in Lawrence County court on December 14.
Losers in life.