Woman Arrested Because of Overdue Library Books

And the winner for cutest jailbird bookworm is...

Although she's a little obstinate, I like her style.

...By 'woman' they do mean over 18 right? She looks a little young so I don't want to come across as one of 'those guys'.

I'm from Cedarburg, which is right next to Grafton, and this was in the local paper. I think that it's her fault, she blatantly ignored every attempt to get the book, including the court date.

What does she mean she's keeping the books because they're "paid for"? They weren't for sale. The fines levied against her were to pay for being a dumbass and breaking the library covenant. It's called stealing. Return the damn books, sweetie.

White Oleander I haven't read, but Angels and Demons is no book to go to jail over.

Jesus, that's freaky. I think I forgot to return a book last year to a place I no longer live. Now I'm worried, haha.

They're 'paid for'? Good grief. They weren't for her to buy. She could have bought a dozen new copies for the price of that fine. It's a pain in the ass when library books go missing, and popular ones at that.

I remember working in my high school library, students weren't allowed to pick up their exam results until they had returned or replaced the library books they'd borrowed. If only there was some way to get adults to be so responsible.

Debtor prisons were eliminated in the US circa 1833. With some exceptions collection of debt is a civil matter, not a criminal one. The library should have turned it over to a collections agency and been done with it; the police should have advised them to do the same.

Why do some people think that library books are their own property, to do with as they wish?

Now, if they're going to arrest people, they need to arrest the vandals that make notes all over brand new books and tear instruction pages out of magazines and how-to books.

SuperJ is right

She should have never been arrested.

I had a hefty fine that I did not pay for about six months, I received a letter that said my information was being passed on to a collection agency

$175? I wish my fine was that low. Mine got out of hand because I did not know my library changed the fines. They used to be 10¢ per book per day, maxing out at $20 per book. If after 3 months you had not paid you were responsible for the fine plus the cost to replace the book. I thought I was ok because of this but with the changes my library made, my fine was way over what I was expecting(too embarrassed to say the amount)

She is being stupid announcing that she still has the books and is not going to return them. It depends on her library but she may just incur more fines. The smart thing to do would be to just let her keep them and cancel her library card... the fun thing to do would be to keep fining her until she returned the books :D Im sure there is something in the agreement you sign when you get your library card that deals with this

Johnny Cat -you owe the lady an apology for your tirade. The books ARE in fact paid for and belong to her. That was part of the library settlement, according to the Smoking Gun:
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2008/0821081books1.html

Johnny Cat wasn't exactly going on a tirade, and that lady deserves no apology.

Obviously, they have an arrangement in that city/county where it becomes a police matter rather than a civil matter.

She looks pretty happy for someone who's being arrested. She IS a dumbass.

EVERY library should offer this woman a library card. She'll keep them rolling in dough.

She essentially paid $170 for the two books (if she is, indeed, allowed to keep them). But if she'd gone to Amazon.com, she could have gotten them for $21.18 (in paperback).

The "tirade" was based on the linked story, not TSG. But sure, I'll apologize: Lady, I'm really sorry that you're a dumbass.

Okay everyone, calm down. This woman's arrest had nothing to do with overdue books. She was arrested because she failed to appear in court. The crime that will be listed along with her booking will be "failure to appear."

She should have been arrested and she was. It's pretty standard procedure.

That said, is she single?

Yeah, sam, cause you really want a woman like her looking after your bills.

I'd show her my bookworm. You cant put it down until the surprise ending.

Attila the Hun...Hitler....Al Capone...and now Heidi Dalibor, a name that will go down in criminal history. Heidi, where did the system fail you? How can we get you back on the road of outstanding citizenship?? Make a donation to the library. Give them their dumb ass books back, give them the finger and start buying books at Half Price Books. Libraries are such snobby places. FREE HEIDI

I like, no, I LOVE, bad girls.

Taking people to court for overdue library books is not a standard procedure, nor is it ethical - particularly for 2 books that probably amount to about $50 worth of library property. It would be much more appropriate and effective (not to mention manageable) if the library utilized a collection agency to deal with this type of issue. This is probably a PR nightmare for this library. As a librarian, I have a feeling there might be more to this story. Some sort of small town scandal? Fingers crossed.

Why was she keeping the books in the first place? Is she retarded?
That would explain why it took forever for her to read the books.

Don't go to the library!! They are not "welcoming" places. All librarians act like they are loaning their own personal books to you. Instead buy books at thrift shops or garage sales. Goodwill is an excellent place to buy books because when you're done with them, you can turn around and donate them back. It's a win-win.

I have respect for the law and for civil liberties, but above these I have respect for libraries.

This is only my personal view of this matter but she stolle books that are held in common for the use of everybody.

She was warned repeatedly fined and summoned to a court appearance.

Now the court appearancve was the last stage of a civil proceedings, after that it becomes theft from the county.

She had ample opportunity to return the books, and could prioabably have walked away from the fines by simply returning them, as no library has the wherewith all to endlessly persuer a $170 in fines and as there was no theft thwere would have been no arrest.

But she was fecklesss lazy arrogant and couldn't give a tuppeny f*ck about her theft.

So stuff her, she stole she got arrested through her own bone idle fecklessness, despite being given every possible opportunity to do the right thing.

And over and above all that she Stole your books.

And who in hades goes to jail for a dan brown book?

Right on, SuperJdynamite. Though Ms. Dalibor should have returned the books, this is entirely a civil matter limited to civil remedies for the library. She should have never been arrested.

Sorry but when you fail to show in court then the cops come and arrest you.

it really is that simple.

Scofflaw. You will submit to the law or you will pay the consequences.

Order must be maintained and the unruly must be taught a lesson. She should spend a minimum of 1 year in a penitentiary.

... arrested for not showing up to court, not the library books.

costanza

that's what she was arrested for, non appearance at a court date, she got there by not paying county fines, she got them by not returning her books.

as soon as you are issued a fine and you fail to pay it, you go into the legal grinder and you have to be a "retread"* to not figure out that you'll eventually go to jail.

(* I can't use the word r.e.t.a.r.d. as it needs moderation.)

Library books are the property of the purchasing and owning institutions; ie; local, county and state governments through tax payers. So, the kid, by not returning the books after being repeatedly notified, was basically stealing government property bought via the tax payers dole.