A mom of 5 in Texas just lately discovered herself in sizzling water after studying that she might go to jail over library books that her county claims had been by no means returned.
Kaylee Morgan took out books about Vincent van Gogh from Navasota Public Library in Grimes County, Texas, in March 2023.
She advised Fox Information Digital that she did, in actual fact, return all of the books that she borrowed, however that one was too large to slot in a returns field.
Court docket paperwork obtained by Fox Information Digital present that the mixed worth of the two books was $60, however Morgan was slapped with a invoice of $569.50 – largely fines and courtroom charges.
She was additionally charged with a metropolis ordinance violation.
“Warrant is ACTIVE for Your Arrest,” an alarming doc learn. “Act Now to Keep away from Going to Jail.”
However Morgan was unaware that the months-old paperwork existed till just lately.
The mother mentioned that the problems started when she went by way of the harmless activity of renewing her driver’s license final week.
“So I am going in and the DMV tells me that they can’t renew my license as a result of I’ve a warrant out for my arrest, and I audibly snort,” she defined in a video posted to Fb. “And I’m shocked as a result of I haven’t been pulled over, haven’t bought any tickets. It simply doesn’t make sense.”
“I largely keep house. I homeschool my children, so it simply didn’t compute, what she was saying.”
Morgan then known as the native courtroom to see what the difficulty was – and was advised that she had two past-due library books.
The stressed-out mom then scheduled an appointment with the choose.
“It’s so foolish. So foolish. I’ve a warrant out for my arrest for overdue library books. Okay… this isn’t faux. This isn’t made up,” she mentioned, bewildered.
Throughout her assembly with the county choose, Morgan defined that she homeschools her 5 youngsters and had a tough being pregnant across the time the books had been due.
“[In the meeting] I’m explaining that we returned the books,” she mentioned. “There was one which was too large to suit into the return field. And after we did return it, the system was down, however I undoubtedly returned it.”
“And that, max, was two weeks late,” Morgan added. “Possibly greater than that, however I used to be pregnant and having some problems, and I used to be on mattress relaxation.”
The choose’s response was lower than sympathetic, Morgan mentioned.
“She advised me she didn’t wish to hear my excuses, that I wanted to take accountability,” Morgan recalled. “She mentioned, what I’ve performed by not returning the library books is similar as stealing from Walmart.”
“So on my document it says that I’ve stolen authorities property. Bonkers, proper? Simply bonkers.”
The choose added that the warrant nonetheless stands, and that Morgan is not going to be allowed to resume her driver’s license earlier than she pays the $600 ticket – a hefty sum for a single-income household of 5.
“She mentioned, make no mistake that if you happen to’re driving in Grimes County with or with out your children, and also you get pulled over, we are going to arrest you. So they are going to arrest me in entrance of my children… I don’t know what I’m going to do about this.”
Morgan says she was technically was not served a warrant, as a result of she was utterly unaware of its existence.
“[The judge] mentioned they issued the warrant, and any person signed for it, and I mentioned it wasn’t me, she mentioned. “I didn’t signal for it. I might know if I had signed her warrant as a result of I might not be driving. I don’t wish to go to jail. And I requested her who signed it, and he or she mentioned, it doesn’t matter.”
The mom has raised over $1,300 by way of GoFundMe, which has helped repay the fines.
Now she plans to rent a lawyer and get the entire mess faraway from her document.
Morgan advised Fox Information Digital that she has acquired a variety of help over the scenario, and hasn’t heard again from authorities since she publicized the scenario.
“The response from the group is generally overwhelmingly constructive,” she mentioned. “There are a number of who don’t perceive that I DID flip the e-book in and others who suppose I’m doing a smear marketing campaign.”
Fox Information Digital reached out to the Navasota County choose, the Grimes County choose and town supervisor for Navasota, however has not heard again.
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