Watch CBS News

Michigan Woman Frisked, Jailed, For Not Renewing Dog License

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) — A western Michigan woman heads to court Tuesday after being arrested for failing to renew her dog's license.

Becky Rehr says she drove to the Kalamazoo County sheriff's office June 23 to prove that she's recently renewed the license for the family's 11-year-old dog, Dexter. Rehr's 14-year-old daughter waited in the car as her mother was arrested, fingerprinted and held for three hours, The Kalamazoo Gazette said.

"They frisked me and put me in this intake cell with all these inmates in orange jumpsuits," Rehr said. "I was pretty nervous."

Failure to license a dog is punishable by up to 90 days in jail and $100 fine.

County animal control Director Steve Lawrence said his office gave the 47-year-old Cooper Township woman numerous phone, mail and in-person notices of the need to renew the license. The last was a phone warning that a warrant would be requested unless she got a license by May 28.

A hearing on the misdemeanor case is scheduled Tuesday before District Judge Christopher Haenicke.

"We prefer not for this stuff to go to court," Lawrence told The Associated Press. "It's just a $10 license. For some reason, some people like to make it hard for themselves."

Rehr said she had "every intention of taking care of it. But with the end of the school year and my job, it just totally got put on the back burner."

 

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.