Elderly Alabama woman, 82, is arrested over unpaid $77 trash collection bill - as her community slam 'shameful' defiant cops who insist she was 'treated respectfully'

Daily Mail ^ | December 2, 2022 | By ANEETA BHOLE

[artichokegrower]

An elderly Alabama woman was brought to tears after she was handcuffed, arrested and put in jail by two officers after she failed to pay a $77.80 trash bill - with her community labelling the act as 'shameful.'

Martha Menefield, 82, was approached by the officers at her home on Sunday, the City of Valley police insisting that the elderly woman had been treated with respect.

[artichokegrower]

Maybe this police department could take over the law enforcement responsibilities for Ulvalde, Texas.

[EEGator]

Debtor’s prison is cool in Alabama?

[DesertRhino]

Cowards... pure cowards.

[ConservativeInPA]

Scum cops. It’s a cop culture thing and it is everywhere.

[dadfly]

to protect and serve...our gov’t bureaucrats.

[DesertRhino]

So many things wrong. Two cops couldn’t cough up 35 bucks? And they couldn’t find some resource to help her?
And last but not least, if for some reason they truly HAD to arrest her, they couldn’t walk her out to a car with no cups and treat her gently?

Horrible. And unmanly.

[DesertRhino]

with no cuffs...

[SheepWhisperer]

Thugs.
Plain
Truth

Community should’ve taken action, PROMPTLY

[joma89]

So yet another out of control police story?

[DesertRhino]

That’s ok. One of these days one of these dickheads or their chief will be getting beat up, or really need that witness. And they will look around and see they are .... alone.

[monkeypants]

sounds like fake news. I doubt there are criminal penalties for not paying this bill.

[OHPatriot]

So the City of Valley Alabama has determined that an 82 year old woman is such a threat and public menace that TWO police officers were required to arrest her, handcuff her, haul her to jail, and worst of all MADE HER CRY.

“Cowards” doesn’t begin to describe these two pieces of filth.

[CFW]

This should have been a civil matter. We are not supposed to have a debtor’s prison unless fraud has been proven. Obviously, this was not intentional fraud. She obviously thought she had paid the bill, and it’s possible she is suffering from the first stages of dementia.

Meanwhile, criminals are being freed nation-wide with no bail, the prison doors are being opened and pedophiles, murderers, and rapists are being set free. Many of them are being paid “settlements” from the tax-payers to compensate them for being arrested in the first place. Our nation cannot last much longer when such a unreasonable and unbalanced justice system is considered the norm.

[monkeyshine]

The community is correct. They should have blocked the street with their cars. I’ve never in my life heard of being arrested for failing to pay a trash collection bill. Maybe the county would try to take the title of her home away from her... but never arrested.

[Izzatso]

Technically, and not to defend the cops because they could've called social services the moment they arrived and met her, she was arrested because she failed to appear at court and that automatically mandated an arrest in that jurisdiction.

[Eagles6]

BACK THE BLUE...oh,wait...never mind.

[Quickgun]

My first thought. I thought that was illegal.

[Carriage Hill]

Damn, I would have paid her bill and spared her the situation. But once the court issues a bench warrant, they have to serve it. The law’s an ass.

[Mears]

She was arrested for not showing up at court…..more Daily Mail garbage.

.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

The cops should have passed the hat and collected enough money to pay the lady's bill. I bet the cops were sporting their full "Elian Gonzales Edition" designer SWAT gear.