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7 months ago
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A mother-of-five was shocked after she discovered there was a warrant out for her arrest in Texas over an overdue library book.
Kaylee Morgan found out about the outstanding citation when she was renewing her driver's license - all stemming from a book that she took out from the Navasota Public Library in Grimes County, Texas, in March 2023.
The busy mom was told the warrant was for theft of government property. Morgan said she initially 'laughed out loud,' and thought 'this has to be a joke, until she learned that 'it wasn't.'
She said she had to travel hours to go before the judge, who had zero empathy for her after she explained the delay was due in part to some pregnancy complications.
Morgan recalled, 'it was not a pleasant experience,' despite her offering to pay for the book, and instead was slapped with $600 fine, that the mom said she could barely afford to pay.
Kaylee Morgan, a mother-of-five, was shocked after she discovered there was a warrant out for her arrest in Texas over an overdue library book
The Navasota Public Library located in Texas is where the overdue book was checked out
Morgan, who said she homeschools her children, said she eventually returned the library book, and thought everything was fine.
She claimed she never received any notices in the mail about money she owed the library regarding the overdue book.
She told the judge that she was having pregnancy complications - hyperemesis and placenta previa - at the time the book was due.
She also told the judge when her husband, who had been working in Houston at the time, went to turn in the books the library was closed, and was unable to fit one of the books in the drop-off box.
Morgan said the judge 'told me to stop making excuses and I needed to take responsibility.'
'She said it was my responsibility to update the library with my change of address because we moved,' she recalled.
The $600 ticket that she had to pay was more than she could afford, so the resourceful Morgan started a GoFundMe with the heading: 'Mom facing jail time over late library book.'
'I’m just a mom with 5 kids trying to homeschool and spread kindness. This is unjust. Please spread the word,' she wrote.
The busy mom created a GoFundMe to help her pay for the $600 fine. The fundraiser has already raised more than $1,000 towards her goal of $3,000
She told 11Alive News the fine was 'excessive' and several mothers have told her they canceled their library card out of fear that this could happen to them.
'You never know when you're going to have a death in the family or you get into a car accident or any number of things.You could break your leg and not be able to return your library book and what? You have to go to jail over that?,' she said, in part.
As of Tuesday evening, the fundraiser has garnered more than $1,400.
'I found a lawyer who will take my case and help me fight this!,' she wrote on her GoFundMe page. 'The new goal is $3,000 so I can pay him. Y’all wish us luck!'
She said she will donate the remainder of the money to the Smithville Public Library.
Since her ordeal, Morgan has been getting support from complete strangers.
One person wrote: 'I hope you fight this and win. The government should support families, not take mothers from their children over missing library books.'
English (US)