I know that this is going to sound really stupid to most, but I wanted to discuss my case, and I hope someone could possibly give the answers I need...
To explain my situation in detail, About 2 years ago, my Mother was hospitalized for an illlness, and there was a certain article in a magazine she wanted to read. It was no longer on the stands so I went to our local library to get a back issue. I took it out and gave it to her. Somewhere along the lines of her getting more ill, and being life-flighted to another hospital, I forgot about the magazine I had brought to her in the hospital. It was lost in the shuffle. When my Mom was being life-flighted, and ended up dying, my first thought was not,"Oh, where's the magazine at?"
I totally forgot about this magazine, which by the way, was a People magazine that you can buy for $2.99 at a store. I got a letter months down the road telling me the magazine was overdue. I went in and told them I lost the magazine and the whole situation behind it. They could've cared less. They wanted me to pay a fine of over $80.00. I disagreed with them and told them I was willing to pay face value for the magazine or even replace it by going online and ordering a back issue but I did not have the money to give them $80.00. They didn't want that, they wanted the money they asked me for. So I just left, thinking,"Oh well, I guess I won't be taking anything out of the library again, because I can't afford to pay off the fine."
A month later, I got a letter in the mail from district court...the library had sent it into the courts. They said I had two weeks to plead guilty/not guilty of "Theft Of Library Property" and pay the fine or I'd have a warrant for my arrest. I didn't have the money at the time. My Mother died without a will, and I owed money in funeral expenses and other things. At 26 years old, it was very hard for me to pay my own expenses, let alone be left with more.
I didn't really think it was that big of a deal..I lost a library magazine! It's not like I was a dope dealer! So I waited to see if I could get the money together. Then I was contacted by a PA state constable, who sent me a letter saying I had $30.00 to pay $300-some dollars to the courts or I'd be arrested. I contacted him and I told him my situation. He said to me,"I'm busy out looking for assault cases. It's not that serious to me right now. Just pay it as soon as you can." I couldn't come up with the money at the time, so I contacted a lawyer for advice, and he told me to just go out and plea guilty and set-up payment plans. So I did this. I set-up payment plans, and began paying off the charges, but after awhile, my husband lost his job, and with a baby on the way, I started having problems coming up with the money every month, and I quit paying it. I know that this was wrong, but I figured that it would just go away. Stupid me!
I didn't hear anything for a year, so I figured they just let it go. It was a lost magazine for God sakes! But last Thursday, I got a call from home saying that a card had been left inside my door from the PA constable. He had been there looking for me to arrest me over the lost magazine. He said I owed over 300.00 and he could arrest me at any time, etc..
I went to the courts first thing in the morning and just coughed up the $306.84 I owed to them..I had to borrow it from my sister. I have a 5 month old daughter and I really needed that money for her expenses, not for this.
If someone was to borrow a magazine from me, and lost it, I couldn't then take them to court and charge them 20 x's more than what it was worth, so how can this be legal to do. My sister, and a friend have both said that they have overdue library costs that are from years ago, and never was there a time that the library turned them in for overdue fines, so how can I be singled out of a bunch because of a lost magazine that I offered to replace or pay the face value?
I also have a theft charge on my record. I have never been in trouble in my life. Never had a ticket or anything, so I don't know what I can do about this, but I want to have it looked into. When I went to court, I never went before a judge to even hear my case. It was always just paying at the window. I want the theft charge removed if I can. So could anyone give me some advice on what measures I need to take to have this looked into and whether I can have the theft charge removed. I'm from Venango County in Oil City, PA.
To explain my situation in detail, About 2 years ago, my Mother was hospitalized for an illlness, and there was a certain article in a magazine she wanted to read. It was no longer on the stands so I went to our local library to get a back issue. I took it out and gave it to her. Somewhere along the lines of her getting more ill, and being life-flighted to another hospital, I forgot about the magazine I had brought to her in the hospital. It was lost in the shuffle. When my Mom was being life-flighted, and ended up dying, my first thought was not,"Oh, where's the magazine at?"
I totally forgot about this magazine, which by the way, was a People magazine that you can buy for $2.99 at a store. I got a letter months down the road telling me the magazine was overdue. I went in and told them I lost the magazine and the whole situation behind it. They could've cared less. They wanted me to pay a fine of over $80.00. I disagreed with them and told them I was willing to pay face value for the magazine or even replace it by going online and ordering a back issue but I did not have the money to give them $80.00. They didn't want that, they wanted the money they asked me for. So I just left, thinking,"Oh well, I guess I won't be taking anything out of the library again, because I can't afford to pay off the fine."
A month later, I got a letter in the mail from district court...the library had sent it into the courts. They said I had two weeks to plead guilty/not guilty of "Theft Of Library Property" and pay the fine or I'd have a warrant for my arrest. I didn't have the money at the time. My Mother died without a will, and I owed money in funeral expenses and other things. At 26 years old, it was very hard for me to pay my own expenses, let alone be left with more.
I didn't really think it was that big of a deal..I lost a library magazine! It's not like I was a dope dealer! So I waited to see if I could get the money together. Then I was contacted by a PA state constable, who sent me a letter saying I had $30.00 to pay $300-some dollars to the courts or I'd be arrested. I contacted him and I told him my situation. He said to me,"I'm busy out looking for assault cases. It's not that serious to me right now. Just pay it as soon as you can." I couldn't come up with the money at the time, so I contacted a lawyer for advice, and he told me to just go out and plea guilty and set-up payment plans. So I did this. I set-up payment plans, and began paying off the charges, but after awhile, my husband lost his job, and with a baby on the way, I started having problems coming up with the money every month, and I quit paying it. I know that this was wrong, but I figured that it would just go away. Stupid me!
I didn't hear anything for a year, so I figured they just let it go. It was a lost magazine for God sakes! But last Thursday, I got a call from home saying that a card had been left inside my door from the PA constable. He had been there looking for me to arrest me over the lost magazine. He said I owed over 300.00 and he could arrest me at any time, etc..
I went to the courts first thing in the morning and just coughed up the $306.84 I owed to them..I had to borrow it from my sister. I have a 5 month old daughter and I really needed that money for her expenses, not for this.
If someone was to borrow a magazine from me, and lost it, I couldn't then take them to court and charge them 20 x's more than what it was worth, so how can this be legal to do. My sister, and a friend have both said that they have overdue library costs that are from years ago, and never was there a time that the library turned them in for overdue fines, so how can I be singled out of a bunch because of a lost magazine that I offered to replace or pay the face value?
I also have a theft charge on my record. I have never been in trouble in my life. Never had a ticket or anything, so I don't know what I can do about this, but I want to have it looked into. When I went to court, I never went before a judge to even hear my case. It was always just paying at the window. I want the theft charge removed if I can. So could anyone give me some advice on what measures I need to take to have this looked into and whether I can have the theft charge removed. I'm from Venango County in Oil City, PA.