Judge lifts arrest warrant, cancels fine of stay-at-home mom wanted for overdue library books

NAVASOTA, Texas (KBTX/Gray News) - A judge lifted the arrest warrant of a Texas mother who was also fined almost $600 for late library books.

Kaylee Morgan, a stay-at-home mother of five, checked out two books from the Navasota Public Library in March 2023 and never returned them.

She discovered last month that there was a warrant out for her arrest while trying to renew her driver’s license. When she called the courts to investigate, she was told it was related to a charge for theft of government property.

The City of Navasota issued a statement on Tuesday saying library fines intend to “provide for continuation of services while ensuring use of library materials is not abused.”

They also said they had sent two notices about the overdue books to the address Morgan had used for her library card application. Morgan said she never received them since they were sent to an address she hadn’t lived at since 2019.

The city also claimed they received an email response from Morgan after they notified her about the late books saying that she would return the books.

When Morgan appeared in court at the end of March and pleaded no contest, she faced harsh words and a $570 fine for books that totaled about $60. The judge also reportedly told her that if she gets pulled over in Grimes County she will be arrested.

After Morgan’s situation reached national news outlets, the city faced massive backlash for what many considered harsh penalties over two library books.

The city said the Navasota Municipal Judge lifted the arrest warrant on April 2 and reduced the fine to $0 on April 5.

The City of Navasota also said that the codes and ordinances of the city are carried out in order to establish “local regulation” and should not be changed by “discussions in the media or social media platforms.” They said that residents who want to see change in the ordinances should communicate with city staff and elected officials.