ASHLAND — Twelve more Amish appeared in the Ashland Municipal Court on Monday and Tuesday, where Judge John Good ordered certificates of judgement against each them for their refusal to pay their fines for violating an Ohio buggy light law.
Tuesday's court hearings mark the end of the legal proceedings against the more than two dozen Amish who originally violated Ohio's buggy light law last fall.
Levi Hershberger, Harvey J. Hostetler, Henry Swartzentruber, Eli L. Swartzentruber, Levi Yoder, Jacob Swartzentruber and Enos Miller appeared in court on Monday.Â
Benjamin Weaver, another Henry Swartzentruber, Andy Zook, Daniel Zook and William Zook appeared on Tuesday.Â
One by one, Judge John Good called each of the Amish forward and recounted the history of their cases. He asked them one last time if they would pay their fines. They all refused.
Good issued certificates of judgement against each of them for the amount of their fines plus statutory interest, which will continue to accumulate until the fines are paid off.
"The court is out of options and there's no point in dragging you back here over and over again for hearings where nothing's going to change," Good told Henry Swartzentruber after issuing a certificate of judgement against him.
Once the county clerk of courts receives the certificates of judgement, liens will likely be placed on the Amish's real estate, Good said.
One of the Amish, Benjamin Weaver, did not appear for his 1:15 p.m. hearing on Tuesday, causing Good to put out a warrant for his arrest. Once Weaver arrived at 1:35 p.m., Good vacated the warrant and issued him a certificate of judgement for his fines.
