A mother in a tiny Texas town was taken aback when she attempted to renew her driver’s license because she had a $570 warrant for an overdue library book that she had checked out for her home-schooled children the previous year.
“I was so angry. I was sad and mad,” Kaylee Morgan described the experience from a book she checked out in March 2023 from the Navasota Public Library in Grimes County, Texas. “The whole week leading up to court, I couldn’t decide if I wanted to laugh or cry.”
She posted on GoFundMe about her suffering in Navasota, a city of 7,643 people, and more than $3,000.
She had recently become pregnant and was experiencing difficulties at the time. All except one of the books that didn’t fit in the book bin, according to her, were returned by her husband. When she attempted to renew her driver’s license, she revealed that she had never received the warrant.
Attempting to defend herself, she argued that the judge was looking for “take responsibility” and not for excuses. When she volunteered to pay fines, she was told it was too late.
Morgan claimed the judge informed her, “She said we were way beyond that and I needed to make it right. She told me that by returning the books late, I had done the equivalent of walking out of Walmart without paying for merchandise.”
She is identified as Kaylee Cooper in the complaint that local network Houston’s NBC affiliate KPRC acquired, which also includes a list of two overdue books about Vincent Van Gogh.
An official notification dated September states, “Be advised that the Navasota Police Department is currently holding a warrant for your arrest. Act Now to Avoid Going to Jail.”
Morgan said that she struggles and has five children in a single-income household.
“This has put a strain on my breastfeeding journey as I now have to pump in case I literally go to jail — over library books,” she stated. “This has been insanely stressful for my family and the punishment does not fit the crime. I’m just a mom with 5 kids trying to home-school and spread kindness. This is unjust. Please spread the word. Whatever additional funds we receive will be donated to the Smithville Public Library and the Navasota Public Library to pay off other debts that might be owed.”
