In Kalamazoo, Michigan a woman was arrested because she didn’t renew the license for her dog before it expired. Although it’s likely the charges will be dismissed, Becky Rehr will be facing a possibility of 90 days in jail and $100 fine today (July 7th), when she appears in court for the misdemeanor crime of being too busy to pay a small tax on time.
Rehr, who had no previous record except a single traffic ticket, had stopped by the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s office on June 23rd to show them a receipt proving she had in fact paid for the dog license, including a late fee, after having received a notice that a warrant had been issued for failure to renew the license by its due date. However, instead of it being a quick trip to clear things up, she instead ended up being arrested, booked, and thrown into a holding cell:
While her 14-year-old daughter waited in the car, Rehr followed the clerk out of the reception area. To her horror, she found that she was not being led to an office, but to the booking area of the county jail, where she was fingerprinted, had a mug shot taken and was put in a holding area with jail inmates.
“They frisked me and put me in this intake cell with all these inmates in orange jumpsuits,” Rehr said. “I was pretty nervous.”
It took three hours before she was released on $100 bond, allowing her to return to her daughter, still waiting in the car.
Apparently, Michigan takes unlicensed dogs very seriously. Even though they are “not looking to punish people,” according to Steve Lawrence, the director of Kalamazoo County Animal Control, they issue four to five warrants a month, on the average, for the owners of dogs whose licenses have expired.
Of course, you can’t let scofflaws (and their little dogs, too) roam the streets, even if they’ve already payed the original fee, plus a late charge, and the reason that they were late in renewing the license was because they work long hours as a surgical nurse and are also taking care of two teenage children by their self, while the father is away on business.
That sort of lawlessness would probably result in some sort of scary anarchy, where everyone was running around with dogs whose names weren’t readily identifiable by looking at their collar.
Kelly is a lifelong resident of Las Vegas, who’s been very active in local grassroots activism, as well as on a national level during his extensive travels. He’s also the founder/main contributor of Nevada Cop Block, served as editor/contributor at CopBlock.org and designed the Official Cop Block Press Passes.
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What about all of the dog owners who payed their lisense fee on time? Why does the hefty bag deserve special treatment?
I doubt if any of them payed a late fee.
“Why does the hefty bag deserve special treatment?”
Not sure…ask your mother yourself.
Here’s a fucking brilliant idea! How about we actually appreciate the idea of freedom and stop making stupid laws to extort and criminalize every move we make? Honestly, if you don’t appreciate the idea of freedom then why don’t you leave? Seriously, get the fuck out and stop trying to convince us that it’s our duty to give up ours.
Your probably the type of “dweeb” that has no life other than whatever ego-trip you get your “jolly’s” off of from “cop-sucking”….get a life looser.
im sure there’s no “life-threatning issue with a late doggy-tag
Another idiot not taking responsibility. It’s the law you have to register your dog. It’s like that all around the USA. She has to prove the dog has had his/her shots and is legal. I’m sure she gets her vehicle tags renewed each year.
Talk about idiots……take a look in the mirror!
She stopped by the Sheriff’s office to shhow the reciept of paying the mutt registration and the associated late fees.
It was after showing her proof of payment that she was locked up by yet ANOTHER dumbass with a badge.
I swear, you’d make a good cop! You’re just as stupid as the cops we read about on this site.
That’s the straw that broke the camels back. You have finally shown that you are in fact a Nazi. You have no similar values that this country was built on. You hate freedom and personal choice. You would piss on liberty to save your own ass from the slaughter.
You are a coward and a traitor to everything that is America. There is a small hot place in hell reserved specially for you. Give my regards to your maker..
It will be legal to kill him very shortly. He is a traitor, and he is treasonous slime. I’m going to enjoy his death probably more than I should.
So what appendage do you want cut off first? the toes? The fingers? A hyperextended knee? Actually I find heat is very effective. A rat trapped on a hot plate will dig through a person in less than one minute. The look in that persons eyes is indescribable. Pure bliss for me to watch, you have no idea what is in store for you.
Clearly the timeline in this case escapes you…..She paid the fees…THEN was arrested by these filthy swine.
OMG!…seriously?! “Cop-sucker”?!
“just doing my job ma’am”….says officer dumbshit who’s boss is chief dumbshit who reports to mayor dumbshit.
Dog “TAX” is unconstitutional anyway. Oh but YOU SLAVES won’t read the Constitution because you’re too sorry so you get what you Deserve, an oppressive Totalitarian Government. You get the Government YOU deserve and YOU deserve this.
Talk about the over criminalization of society..SMH..Another municipal funding mechanism on the backs of the masses…so the corporations in the area can continue their tax subsidies.
There’s your lesson. Pay your tag fees on time. It’s not like she didn’t know when they were due.
Fuck off fascist scumbag.
Thanx “boot-licker”!
This is going too far.
More cops that need to be publicly executed.
My first time commenting here: my, my! Lookit all the copsuckers here! They’re all ready to have this woman taken to the gas chamber! And no pesky trials either! She’s a scofflaw alright. It’s a wonder her 14 year old daughter wasn’t kidnapped by Social “Services” while she was in the car — but they probably didn’t know at the time. Those little fascists are probably wringing their hands in grief that they missed their chance. No worry, they’ll know better next time.
Plain old common sense doesnt seem to resonate with these self-righteous donut hunting action starved revenew generating so-called heros….they value the letter and not the spirit of law and abuse what little authority granted to them….how discusting!
typical cop
Guess she should have paid more attention to the calendar. She knew he had a warrant and thought that her renewing the license would remove the warrant. Surprise, it doesn’t.
“…..County animal control officials say Rehr, of Cooper Township, was given numerous mail, phone and in-person warnings after Dexter’s license expired March 1. The last phone call warned that a warrant would be requested unless she got a $10 license by May 28…”
“….The dismissal was not totally unexpected: Chief Assistant Prosecutor Carrie Klein told the Gazette last week that charges are normally dismissed in such cases once the defendant proves that he or she has obtained the dog license….”