Arrest Warrant Issued For Mom Because Of Overdue Library Books

A Texas mother was shocked to learn that a warrant had been issued for her arrest because of overdue library books. Kaylee Morgan took out several books from the Navasota Public Library in Grimes County in March 2023.

Morgan didn't know about the warrant until she went to renew her driver's license.

"I went to renew my driver's license online because, of course, busy mom, and they wouldn't let me renew online. So I had to make an appointment, and she told me I couldn't renew my license because 'you have a warrant out for your arrest,' and I just laughed. Like, I just laughed at her like, no, that's not a thing. And sure enough, I have a warrant out for my arrest," Morgan told KBTX. "So I called the court, and they said it's over theft of government property. And I'm just reeling, like, what in the world is happening? This can't be true. And it was over a library book that I had turned in late."

Morgan, who homeschools her five children, told Fox News that she brought the books back to the library on time but that one of them didn't fit in the return bin because it was too big.

Morgan was dealing with a difficult pregnancy at the time, and it took her a couple of weeks to return the other two books. However, when she went to return them, the library's computer system was down, and the books were never marked as returned.

As a result, she was fined $569.50, and a warrant for her arrest was issued.

When Morgan went to court to fight the ticket and explain what happened, the judge didn't care.

"She told me she didn't want to hear my excuses, that I needed to take responsibility," Morgan said. "She said what I have done by not returning the library books is the same as stealing from Walmart."

The judge refused to let the ticket go and said that if she didn't pay the fine and renew her driver's license, she risked being arrested.

"She said, make no mistake that if you're driving in Grimes County with or without your kids, and you get pulled over, we will arrest you. So they will arrest me in front of my kids. I don't know what I'm going to do about this."

Morgan created a GoFundMe and raised $1,300, which she used to pay off the fine. Now, she is hiring a lawyer to have the charges removed from her record.