INSIDER 'Y'all put me in this cage?': 82-year-old Alabama grandmother said she was told by police officers 'not to cry' after they arrested her for not paying her trash bill

yahoo ^ | 12/04/2022

[devane617]

I guess this can happen, but seems odd to be arrested for not paying a trash bill.

[databoss]

Debtors prison returns

[Varda]

Yesterday somebody posted that she ignored a court summons and that’s why she was arrested.

[bert]

So, she was not jailed for not paying her trash bill. The woman was jailed for not appearing before a judge. She was jailed for a warrant demanding her presence in court

[EEGator]

This story, maybe a different article, was posted yesterday.
Someone posted that it was for not showing to court about the bill.
Someone might wish to verify. Still a crappy story…

[WeaslesRippedMyFlesh]

...and Hunter is free?

I’d say it’s more like a 40 tiered justice system.

[BikerJoe]

I guess this can happen, but seems odd to be arrested for not paying a trash bill.

When I lived in a St. Louis suburb, a friend was arrested for having a car with no plates in her driveway. We'd been working on it to get it running for her.

[fuzzylogic]

...but the *arrest* isn't over "paying a trash bill".

"A warrant for Menefield's arrest was subsequently issued after she failed to appear in court, per officials."

She failed to appear in court. I'm not saying she is capable in mind to deal with the situation, or that the result is what a compassionate culture desires - only that the title is inaccurate. She could have been required to appear in court for any reason.

[MortMan]

Assuming she ever saw the summons, but that appears to be the story.

[catnipman]

SO much easier to issue an arrest warrant for an 82 year old grandma for a $78.00 trash bill than to go after actual criminals like drug dealers, thieves and con artists ... but hey, the “justice” system has to prioritize what’s important ...

[MarMema]

Did anyone pay it yet? Does anyone know how it can be paid?

[Georgia Girl 2]

Pretty shameful all the way around but that is what our society has devolved to.

[Aevery_Freeman]

Fer sure, usually it's only owing money to a LAWYER that leads to incarceration.

Funny, huh.

[Sirius Lee]

She should have just burned down a building or stolen a tv or carjacked or clocked another senior in the head with a brick. You don’t have to go to jail for that.

[silent majority rising]

That is how the story was written, but the charge was “Failure to Appear” in court, which is a jailable offense. The author was trying to embellish to sell the story, which it certainly did.

[LukeL]

Remember that Randy Weaver was given an incorrect court date which lead to the siege. A judge ruled that Randy Weaver was still in contempt because he should have confirmed the court date instead of just relying on the summons.

[Gaffer]

Not so much the trash bill but the FTA for not showing up in court. Regardless, she shouldn’t have been perped, IMO. I don’t care what court orders say about FTA arrests.

[Java4Jay]

As of the 2010 census Valley Alabama had a population of 9,524

[piytar]

Exactly. And a lot safer.

[Openurmind]

“So, she was not jailed for not paying her trash bill. The woman was jailed for not appearing before a judge. She was jailed for a warrant demanding her presence in court”

Too predictable... You are a government suck up. I can’t believe you would think this is Ok. Cause and effect... She was obviously written a citation for not paying the bill first. Not paying a trash bill should never be illegal and/or require a citation or court appearance in the first place.

Like mentioned above, it is debtor’s prison, which is unconstitutional. Even if it is to a municipality utilities are always treated as a civil action because anything other is unconstitutional. If it was an “incorporated” municipality then it is a civil action for sure.

No they should have suspended service and collected back fees before reinstating. No issue to appear should have been written in the first place. Owing a trash bill should never be a criminal code violation.