What do they do with REAL criminals? Texas town puts residents behind bars for failing to return library books
- - Police in Copperas Cove make regular arrests for unreturned library books
- - Arrested patrons usually have to pay a £150 ($240) bond to be released
- - The book must be out for a minimum of 90 days and attempts made to contact the
borrower before the courts are notified
By CHRIS MURPHY
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In jail for late library books: Jory Enck was locked up after he failed to return a study guide he borrowed in 2010
They take law breaking seriously in the town of Copperas Cove, Texas, where police are regularly arresting people who do not return their library books on time.
The latest to be locked up for the offence had a book checked out for three years.
Jory Enck was booked into jail for overdue library materials.
Court documents show he checked out a study guide in 2010 and didn't respond to attempts from the library to get the book back.
City of Copperas Cove Municipal Judge Bill Price said the patrons are usually released on a £150 ($240) bond after the arrest.
Library policies show the patron must have the overdue book checked out for a minimum of 90 days and not respond to phone calls or emails from the library about the book before the municipal court is notified.
Julie Lehmann with the Copperas Cove Police Department said if an officer makes a routine stop or encounters a patron with an active overdue library materials warrant on a call they will make the arrest.
Judge Price said in situations where library materials are not returned they usually try to let the civil process sort it out and if that doesn't work a warrant is issued, which doesn't result in a pleasant response from patrons.
Judge Price said: 'Universal hatred, nobody wants to get arrested over a library book.
'The other side of that is people that go to our library and can't have these materials, they're put out too.'
Take law breaking seriously: Police regularly arrest people who do not return their library books on time in the town of Copperas Cove, Texas (pictured)
The ordinance was adopted by the city almost four years ago and some locals are not happy with the library warrants being regularly issued.
Copperas Cove resident Clyde Glosson said: 'I guess that they have to have some way to enforce the rules at the library to return borrowed material.
'I think that's a little extreme personally and I'll certainly talk to the mayor to maybe get that changed.'
Enck's library card was found inside the book now back at the library with records showing the book was turned in the day after his arrest.
Ignore library warnings: The overdue book must be out for a minimum of 90 days and the library must have made attempts to contact the borrower before the municipal court in Copperas Cove (pictured) is notified
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