Warrant Issued Against Woman For Overgrown Grass

The thing is, that, well you do owe them the money...they say you need to pay, they have the guns, you don't so.....COUGH UP PEON!

Warrant Issued Against Woman For Overgrown Grass

WCAU-TV
updated 12:16 p.m. ET, Fri., Aug. 29, 2008

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Pa. - Some people in Lansdale are afraid they could be arrested and hauled off to jail because their grass and weeds are too tall.

"I just don't want to be arrested. I've got a clean record; I want to keep it clean. This is just ridiculous, over grass," Anita Felix, a Lansdale resident, said.

There is a warrant for Felix's arrest and the crime is excess vegetation.

"We're just speechless that the borough can be so aggressive about this when there's properties in this town a lot worse than ours," Felix said.

The family had been out of town for a week and were cited for tall grass. Felix said they've been mowing and paid the $304 fine but the citations kept showing up and then a warrant.

"I don't know what to do? I don't have any money to continue paying the fines. I don't have money for a lawyer right now," she said.

Lansdale's borough manager said last month they're simply trying to get people to take care of their properties.

Dolores Adams said that's fine, but the enforcement is over the top.

"It's hardworking people trying to keep up with everything and they're worried about the lawn growing a couple of inches. What are they? Nuts?" Adams said.

The borough's crackdown seems to be getting more people to mow their lawns.

But Felix said she feels she's being harassed into paying fines she knows she doesn't owe.

NBC10 tried contacting Lansdale's borough manager and the head of code enforcement to ask them why they're issuing arrest warrants for something as simple as overgrown lawns but they both are away on vacation.

http://www.nbc10.com/news/17333294/detail.html