Teenager Goes to Jail for Overdue DVD

[ltgrunt]

The DVD is so expensive for the library because it's a "special" copy that's authorized to be rented/borrowed out, just like the ones at video rental stores. There's nothing *really* different about it, but libraries and video stores that go about these things legally pay more for copies that they're licensed to rent/lend out.

As for this problem getting to the point it did, it's entirely the kid's fault. He borrowed the movie and never took it back. He moved without filing a change of address. He ignored or deleted the messages he did eventually get. So he payed a big fine, boo hoo; I'll be sure to play him a sad song on the world's tiniest violin. Maybe this will teach him a lesson about returning things that don't belong to him and keeping his contact information up to date.

 

[igot1forya]

Don't people have insurance for this kind of stuff? Seriously, cut your losses and move on!

 

[Spanky Deluxe]

While it's insane that this should ever have gone to even a court summons, I don't think he was arrested and jailed for having an overdue DVD but rather for contempt of court. A similar thing happened to a guy I know - he didn't pay his tax bill, moved, didn't set up a forwarding address and ended up missing a court date he didn't know about. He's now serving 2 years in prison after being arrested and prosecuted for contempt of court. The tax bill's still outstanding.

 

[victomofreality]

Tax payer dollars at work... prosecuting people over due library books is so much better then health care.

 

[Guest]

--to most of the people who posted, your morons. This guy left town. The library made calls and sent notices, and what was he doing during that entire time?? He certainly had ample time to return it.
--It shows that many people here have never seen what is a court summons: its an order to appear at court, and at the bottom is a special paragraph saying if you fail to show up on your date there will be consequences.
--The fact of the item being a dvd is meaningless because it could have been a book or whatever. The set value of $30 is what was the grounds to proceed by the library.
--In the end it was personal responsibility that he failed at.
--If you bought that margaritaville machine on a payment system, and you stopped to make anymore payments/skipped town. What do you think would happen? The creditor only has your last address and that is where the "system" falls into place.

 

[cyprod]

The folks here posting and are all up in arms about this really don't understand the legal process. The kid wasn't arrested for not returning a DVD, the kid was arrested for skipping court. It's standard procedure. Skip court, get arrested. It'd happen to you if you were pulled over, didn't have proof of insurance and then didn't appear at your hearing to show a judge that you did have insurance, and in that case, you'd be arrested for litterally doing nothing wrong.

 

[Parsian]

this is so far, the "WTF" of the year

 

[leafman420]

good I do believe that ppl need to know that the library is something we all use. If you don't return it then the next person don't get a chance to use that "FREE" resource. maybe some of you should get up from that monitor and go see what the world really have to offer. Spent my whole childhood at a library reading. Becasue the F**** in this world didn't like geeks and nerds in the 80s???, and you seen to still don't. Yea I am antisocial, but now by choice. -->Leafman420

 

[manny_bones]

This is why more and more libraries now are turning to collection agencies. Some cities have millions of dollars of late fines or un-returned items on their books. The way a lot of public libraries are funded, that could be up to 10% of their yearly budget.

 

[leafman420]

Oh and them tax payers dollars go to to companys' as of late to bail there sad butts out of trouble.

 

[tommysch]

[citation][nom]amdchuck[/nom]I suppose the question is whether or not you believe his somewhat unbelievable story or, if like me, you think the kid simply stole the DVD and had no intention of returning it. If my suspicion is correct then yeah, throw the book at him.[/citation]

I do think like that. The same goes for every sucker who will end up crashing their Toyota's in the future, they'll all say that the accelerator got stuck.

1 out of 10 will be telling the truth. Maybe...

 

[soky602]

[citation][nom]andboomer[/nom]How the hell is a DVD you can pick up for $1 on ebay/etc valued at $31.45?[/citation]
Its more like, "How the hell is a DVD worth more than a Blu-ray!"

 

[sliem]

1) Kid should remember returning anything he borrows
2) Kid should change his address when he moves
3) The DVD is not worth $31
4) The library is stupid when $ is involved
5) The world is stupid when $ is involved

 

[tethoma]

The part that angers me the most, he had to pay $200 to get his car out of impound.

They impound your car for a late DVD.....

The police need to let the victim in even larger crimes call a friend to come pick it up. But no, that is how the city makes its money, by taking your property and making you pay to get it back.

 

[nebun]

ok, the point here is that this idiot needs to grow up and return the movie on time. the internet is full of materials we need to educate ourselves. do we really need libraries anymore?

 

[CoryInJapan]

Only is the USofA..where freedom is an illusion.BTW Im not in Japan I am a born american still living in california all his life.
Fawk the system.

 

[bustapr]

Wow, an arrest on his record for not returning a DVD. That's something that will surely affect him in his future in looking for a job, going to college, or getting a scholarship. And its for a stupid reason. What they shouldve done was investigate where the teen moved and send them a notice there. That was poorly handled, they might have just destroyed the boys future.

 

[Guest]

americans are retarded

 

[Jenoin]

[citation][nom]bustapr[/nom]Wow, an arrest on his record for not returning a DVD. That's something that will surely affect him in his future in looking for a job, going to college, or getting a scholarship. And its for a stupid reason. What they shouldve done was investigate where the teen moved and send them a notice there. That was poorly handled, they might have just destroyed the boys future.[/citation]
An arrest doesn't mean anything. Most if not all applications for such things read "Have you ever been convicted of misdemeanor, felony, domestic violence, DUI, etc?" So he has no problems, because all charges were dropped. Stop being a doof.

 

[Guest]

I live in Littleton and this sounds just like the courts and police. They aren't interested in your rights, or even serving and protecting. All the care about is taking your money. The DA in littleton is an idiot.