When she tried to explain her situation to Judge Patricia M. Gruner, she was dismissed and told to "take responsibility" without any regard for her circumstances. Morgan was then charged with a Class C misdemeanor for theft of government property, which she believes is excessive.
Reported on KPRC 2, A stay at home mom and believes she was unfairly penalized for not returning library books after reportedly receiving numerous reminders about the issue before authorities issued a warrant against her. According to a statement from the city of Navasota, the library director and the woman, Kaylee Morgan, have been discussing the matter for the past year.
In March 2023, the woman borrowed several books from the Navasota Public Library in Grimes County, Texas, for her homeschooling children. Morgan, who is a wife and mother of five, experienced a challenging pregnancy, grappling with hyperemesis and placenta previa. Due to these circumstances, she couldn't return the books by the deadline.
Although her husband returned all but one book, which didn't fit in the library's drop box, Morgan was surprised to find a warrant for a $570 fine when she went to renew her driver's license. This was all because of the overdue books. When she tried to explain her situation to Judge Patricia M. Gruner, she was dismissed and told to "take responsibility" without any regard for her circumstances. Morgan was then charged with a Class C misdemeanor for theft of government property, which she believes is excessive.
“There are so many other things we can do as consequence. I do agree having a time frame for library books is important so everyone can participate but maybe community service like you returned a book late so come read to the kiddos,” she said.
As per a statement from the city, Morgan obtained a library card on March 17, 2023, and borrowed two books, which were supposed to be returned by March 31, 2023. When she failed to return the books on time, two overdue notices were allegedly sent to the address she had provided during her library card application in March 2023.
The Institute for Justice (IJ) has strongly criticized the city of Navasota, Texas, and its municipal court for imposing a fine and issuing an arrest warrant against Kaylee Morgan, a resident of Grimes County, due to her late return of library books. The non-profit public interest law firm has characterized these actions as "grossly inappropriate and unconstitutional."
In a press release by the IJ, the organization argued that the fine and arrest warrant violated the U.S. Constitution, resulting in the conviction of a stay-at-home mother of five for a misdemeanor offense. The IJ cited the Eighth Amendment, which is intended to safeguard Americans from excessive fines and penalties.
"The constitution prohibits fines that are grossly disproportionate to an offense," said IJ Senior Attorney Ari Bargil in the press release. "Here, it’s quite obvious what a proportionate penalty would have been: $60 to cover the cost of the two overdue books. Instead, Kaylee was threatened with jail time and assessed fines, fees, and related costs of nearly $600. That’s almost ten times the cost of the books, and an eye-popping sum for a harmless violation."
According to Morgan's GoFundMe page, she has gathered more than $3,700 to aid in covering the fines and legal expenses. "I'm simply a mother of five children striving to homeschool and promote goodwill. This is unfair. Kindly help spread awareness," Morgan expressed in her fundraising appeal.
Following the widespread coverage of Morgan's case by national media, the city received significant criticism for imposing what some viewed as severe consequences for the late return of two library books. The Navasota Municipal Judge rescinded the arrest warrant on April 2 and waived the fine entirely on April 5.
The City of Navasota also said that the codes and ordinances of the city are carried out in order to establish “local regulation” and should not be changed by “discussions in the media or social media platforms.” They said that residents who want to see change in the ordinances should communicate with city staff and elected officials.
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