========= Multi-Author AdSense ========= Skipped due to [standard ad slot 1] being empty for [user ID 2]. ========================================

Rick Yoes turned himself into the county jail last night in compliance with a warrant issued for his arrest after receiving a fine of $1,700 for having an overgrown lawn in September of last year. Unable to pay the fine Rick took every vacation day he accrued, made arrangements for a replacement, and surrendered himself to jail.

Rick is the South east campus electrician for Tarrant County College, he is a hard and dedicated worker often times offering to help outside of the description of his job or volunteering for extra curricular activities. In 2012 he dressed up in 1776 style regalia and read a copy of the U.S. Constitution to the student body. Because of his dedication he is loved by faculty, and students. His collection of beautiful seashells is also on display at the campus.

The incident happened last year in Grand Prairie, Tx, while Rick, and his daughter Angel were working from before sun up, until after dark. During this time the lawn was neglected, and it grew over the 6 inch regulatory code. The city sent them a reminder to cut the lawn, and within 2 weeks Angel had cut the lawn to regulation height. She said that they have been keeping the lawn “buzzed” ever since.

I did some research, and found a regulation for Grand Prairie that said lawns can be up to 12 inches in height. Rick’s daughter Angel said this new regulation wasn’t familiar to her. Mr. Yoes may be locked up for nothing, and this may come as a surprise to some but more often than you would care to think people are incarcerated under false pretenses.

Angel said “Yes, we should have been more on top of it, but we were so busy with work, and when we got a warning from the city we handled it.” Neither of them thought about it again, until a postcard came in the mail a couple weeks ago from the city. It said that there was a warrant for Rick’s arrest, as well as a fine of $1,700. Angel told me the sum of the fine is the equivalent of 3 mortgage payments.

There are many silly aspects of this crime. The fact that an overgrown lawn can land someone in jail for 17 days is absurd. The fact that a small group of people are able to claim arbitrary authority over your property, and dictate how long you can grow your grass is completely void of any measure of liberty. Long gone are the days when incarceration was for violent offenders like murderers and rapist. Now the land of the free is home to over a quarter of the worlds prison population, and many of them are non violent offenders just like Rick.

In an official statement to the Fresno Peoples Media his daughter Angel expressed disappointment in the local government for squandering tax dollars on dangerous grass growers.

“I’m seriously disappointed with the way Grand Prairie is handling this situation. I think there are better ways to spend tax payer money than locking up dangerous grass growers“