He is one of several people who have filed lawsuits against St. Louis County, and three municipalities in the county, seeking refunds for court costs that were charged but are not allowed by statute.

There are 14 pages of dozens upon dozens of allowable court costs published every year by the Missouri Supreme Court. A warrant fee is not among them.

Neither is a “special deterrent fee.” That’s what Alec Brimmer was charged when he pleaded guilty to a municipal charge of littering in the city of Overland in 2016.

Keep in mind, Brimmer didn’t litter.

His roommate had borrowed his car and got pulled over for an alleged traffic violation. The roommate had unpaid tickets and was going to be hauled off to jail. Brimmer went to retrieve his car. Instead, he was cuffed and put in the back of a police car. Brimmer, whose only run-ins with police have been over traffic violations, was charged with resisting arrest and interfering with police.

Now 27 and living in Arizona, the young information technology worker told me he pleaded guilty to littering because he didn’t want anything on his record.

The fine was $100.

The special deterrent fee was twice that.