Houston Mother Threatened with Jail Time Over Unreturned Library Book

Imagine being locked in a cage because you forgot to return a library book.

A Texas mother with five children found herself in this situation after learning that there was an arrest warrant issued for her because she hadn’t returned a library book.

Kaylee Morgan began her ordeal with the desire to provide educational material for her children who are homeschooled. To this end, she checked out some books from her local library. She had no idea that she was about to face a difficult and life-changing pregnancy and be the target of her local government.

Kaylee Morgan – a mother-of-five and wife who stayed at home – rented some books from the Navasota Public Library, in Grimes County in Texas, in March of last year.

These were for her children who are homeschooled.

Morgan had a difficult pregnancy at that time. She was dealing with placenta prévia and hyperemesis. She did not return the books on time. She claimed her husband returned all the books except one because it would not fit in the library’s drop-box.

What happened next shocked Morgan.

She was surprised to find out that there was a warrant on her license for $570 for an overdue book. Morgan tried to explain her situation to Judge Patricia M. Gruner but was told that the judge didn’t want to hear any “excuses.” She said she had to “take full responsibility.”

This has been a stressful experience. “I exclusively breastfed my child so now I have to navigate pumping for fear of getting arrested,” she said.

Morgan says that when she offered payment for the books that were missing, even though the books had been returned, a judge told her they were past that stage in the process, and Morgan needed to now make things right.

Morgan posted a message on her GoFundMe page saying, “She said that I was walking out of Walmart unpaid for the merchandise because I returned the books late.” They now refuse to restore my license until I have paid the ticket, and there is a warrant for my arrest out in Grimes County.

Morgan was shocked when she realized that she could face jail time for a book. “I couldn’t believe it, I thought I was on Punked.”

Morgan’s attempts to correct the situation were ignored by the judge who seemed to think that the mistake was equivalent to a criminal offense. She was able to raise the money to pay for the fine, but she is seeking legal advice to clear her record.

It is for this reason that I encourage people to pay attention to their local politics. Houston’s justice system is seriously flawed if a local government wants to lock someone up for a mistake made with a library. Morgan said, “There are so many other consequences we can have for overdue library books.”

Morgan’s misdemeanor charges are a further indication of how corrupt this system has become. This case should highlight the problems and motivate people to change policies.