Alabama senior citizen jailed for not mowing her lawn: Like I was some gangster

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PRITCHARD, Ala. — Apparently some places in Alabama are really serious about residents mowing their lawns. A 70-year-old woman from Pritchard, Alabama was arrested last week for not mowing her lawn or responding to a citation. But the whole thing was just a terrible misunderstanding. The woman, who wanted to remain anonymous, was placed in handcuffs and put in the back of a police car for not responding to a citation she received for overgrown grass and brush at her home. Unfortunately, the woman no longer owns the home where the citation was issued. She claimed she had already produced the appropriate documentation to prove that the home no longer belonged to her. “I supplied that information,” she said. “No one said this is not enough… it’s the wrong thing you have… nobody said nothing.” A warrant was subsequently issued for her arrest. The police showed up to her house last week to arrest her “like I was some gangster, some murderer,” the woman said. The situation was awkward for the police as well. “Unfortunately she was on the list of persons to be picked up under warrants issued by the courts, and we just don’t have the discretion to ignore the court’s orders,” Prichard Chief of Staff Phillip Stiell said. The woman spent a few hours in jail with no food, water, or chance to take her medication. She called the experience a “nightmare.” Once they realized their mistake, the Pritchard police tried to get the woman out as quickly as possible. “It’s not common that we arrest persons of that age,” said Stiell. “But recognizing that was the case, we did what we could to help get her out.” The “oversight by the city” has left the woman shaken and angry. She met with the mayor of Pritchard a few days after the ordeal.

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