A mother of five in Texas found herself facing possible jail time over library books that her county claimed were never returned. Kaylee Morgan borrowed books about Vincent van Gogh from Navasota Public Library in March 2023 and insisted that she returned all of them, but one book was too big to fit in the returns box. Despite the combined value of the books being $60, Morgan was charged $569.50 in fines and court fees, and also faced a city ordinance violation. The situation came to light when she tried to renew her driver’s license and was informed of an active warrant for her arrest.
Unaware of the months-old documents, Morgan was shocked to learn about the warrant when attempting to renew her license. The issue surfaced when she called the local court and was told about the past-due library books. Despite explaining her situation during a meeting with the county judge, where she cited complications during a difficult pregnancy as the reason for the delay in returning the books, Morgan was met with a lack of sympathy. The judge equated the late library book return to stealing from a store, and refused to accept Morgan’s reasons for the delay.
Following the meeting with the judge, Morgan had accrued over $1,300 in fines but managed to pay them off with the help of a GoFundMe campaign. She plans to hire a lawyer to clear her record of the incident. Morgan received overwhelming support from the community after publicizing her situation and has not heard back from authorities since the story gained attention. Despite the positive response, there are still some who question her version of events and accuse her of running a smear campaign.
With the aim of clearing her name and removing the stain from her record, Morgan is taking legal action to address the situation. The mother, who homeschools her five children, faces the possibility of being arrested in front of her kids if she is pulled over while driving in Grimes County. Despite the stress and uncertainty surrounding the issue, Morgan is determined to fight back against what she sees as an injustice. The local authorities, including the Navasota County judge, Grimes County judge, and the city manager of Navasota, have not responded to requests for comment on the matter.
