A New Mexico mother was arrested in front of her young children and spent the night in jail – all for not returning a Twilight book and DVD to her local library nearly two years after borrowing them.
Lori Teel was arrested and handcuffed at her Portales home in front of her five small children on June 12. She had borrowed $36 worth of library materials not returned since 2010.
Police had arrived at Mrs Teel’s home after receiving a call that her husband, Jimmy Teel, had assaulted someone, according to the Albuquerque Journal. It was while they were at the couple’s house that Portales police realized there was a warrant out for Mrs Teel’s arrest for the missing young adult fiction and movie.
Her attorney, Eric Dixon, says arrest warrants were mailed last year to an address at which Mrs Teel hadn't lived since childhood. However, the mother of five was arrested all the same in front of her children, aged one through ten, and spent the night in the Roosevelt County Detention Center.
She said: ‘My kids are still very emotional. They had to stay with a complete stranger.’ She was released the next day on a $610 bond.
The DVD and book both had a due date of October 5, 2010, but Mrs Teel said she couldn’t remember checking them out. However, library records show that both items were checked out in her name.
Now the mother is suing the city. Mr Dixon wrote in the tort claim: ‘Ms Teel and her small children have been traumatized, humiliated, embarrassed, subject to ridicule, and otherwise suffered pain and suffering and other damages as a result of this wrongful arrest.’
The Albuquerque Journal reported that charges against Mrs Teel were dropped earlier this week.
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