Protecting and Serving: Texas Man Thrown in Jail for Weeks because his Lawn was Overgrown

[DeenThomas]

Grand Prairie, TX — A hard-working Texas man was thrown in jail after a warrant was issued for his arrest for an overgrown lawn.
Protecting and Serving Texas Man Thrown in Jail for Weeks because his Lawn was Overgrown The Free Thought Project
Rick Yoes is the campus electrician for Tarrant County College and usually works from before sun-up to after sun-down.
In September of last year, he and his daughter had been hard at work and were unable to cut the lawn on their Grand Prairie home. The local government then claimed that because Yoes could not mow hiss lawn, he now owed them $1,700 for his grass that achieved a height of over six inches.
1700$ only because you didn't cut the lawn... Damn, i understand that some stupid laws were "born" because there were incidents(Of course i'm talking about stupid laws, like Alabama's prohibition on playing dominoes on sunday)
This guy is just average worker, just average citizen who wanna live good, but should work on bad job to earn some... Why government is spitting in his face?

 

[September]

I ain't ever heard of that law​

 

[Sonny Clark]

Grand Prairie, TX — A hard-working Texas man was thrown in jail after a warrant was issued for his arrest for an overgrown lawn.
Protecting and Serving Texas Man Thrown in Jail for Weeks because his Lawn was Overgrown The Free Thought Project
Rick Yoes is the campus electrician for Tarrant County College and usually works from before sun-up to after sun-down.
In September of last year, he and his daughter had been hard at work and were unable to cut the lawn on their Grand Prairie home. The local government then claimed that because Yoes could not mow hiss lawn, he now owed them $1,700 for his grass that achieved a height of over six inches.
1700$ only because you didn't cut the lawn... Damn, i understand that some stupid laws were "born" because there were incidents(Of course i'm talking about stupid laws, like Alabama's prohibition on playing dominoes on sunday)
This guy is just average worker, just average citizen who wanna live good, but should work on bad job to earn some... Why government is spitting in his face?

Shameful. There should be protests in the streets and riots. People better wake up and stop the damn law ( law enforcement ) from taking over this country. Our entire judicial system should be wiped out and completely over-hauled. Dumb laws, cowboy cops, corrupt courts, and marshal law are destroying this nation. I hope someone realizes that you can only push people so far before all hell will break loose. The American people need to take control of this country before it's too late.

 

[defcon4]

Grand Prairie, TX — A hard-working Texas man was thrown in jail after a warrant was issued for his arrest for an overgrown lawn.
Protecting and Serving Texas Man Thrown in Jail for Weeks because his Lawn was Overgrown The Free Thought Project
Rick Yoes is the campus electrician for Tarrant County College and usually works from before sun-up to after sun-down.
In September of last year, he and his daughter had been hard at work and were unable to cut the lawn on their Grand Prairie home. The local government then claimed that because Yoes could not mow hiss lawn, he now owed them $1,700 for his grass that achieved a height of over six inches.
1700$ only because you didn't cut the lawn... Damn, i understand that some stupid laws were "born" because there were incidents(Of course i'm talking about stupid laws, like Alabama's prohibition on playing dominoes on sunday)
This guy is just average worker, just average citizen who wanna live good, but should work on bad job to earn some... Why government is spitting in his face?

Shameful. There should be protests in the streets and riots. People better wake up and stop the damn law ( law enforcement ) from taking over this country. Our entire judicial system should be wiped out and completely over-hauled. Dumb laws, cowboy cops, corrupt courts, and marshal law are destroying this nation. I hope someone realizes that you can only push people so far before all hell will break loose. The American people need to take control of this country before it's too late.

It is too late.
"Famously, eight years before Lincoln's speech, during the Senate debate on the Compromise of 1850, Sam Houston had proclaimed: "A nation divided against itself cannot stand."
Lincoln s House Divided Speech - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

 

[Sonny Clark]

Grand Prairie, TX — A hard-working Texas man was thrown in jail after a warrant was issued for his arrest for an overgrown lawn.
Protecting and Serving Texas Man Thrown in Jail for Weeks because his Lawn was Overgrown The Free Thought Project
Rick Yoes is the campus electrician for Tarrant County College and usually works from before sun-up to after sun-down.
In September of last year, he and his daughter had been hard at work and were unable to cut the lawn on their Grand Prairie home. The local government then claimed that because Yoes could not mow hiss lawn, he now owed them $1,700 for his grass that achieved a height of over six inches.
1700$ only because you didn't cut the lawn... Damn, i understand that some stupid laws were "born" because there were incidents(Of course i'm talking about stupid laws, like Alabama's prohibition on playing dominoes on sunday)
This guy is just average worker, just average citizen who wanna live good, but should work on bad job to earn some... Why government is spitting in his face?

Shameful. There should be protests in the streets and riots. People better wake up and stop the damn law ( law enforcement ) from taking over this country. Our entire judicial system should be wiped out and completely over-hauled. Dumb laws, cowboy cops, corrupt courts, and marshal law are destroying this nation. I hope someone realizes that you can only push people so far before all hell will break loose. The American people need to take control of this country before it's too late.

It is too late.
"Famously, eight years before Lincoln's speech, during the Senate debate on the Compromise of 1850, Sam Houston had proclaimed: "A nation divided against itself cannot stand."
Lincoln s House Divided Speech - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

Yes, we are very much divided, and I preach about that every single day. A people divided, plays right into the hands of those doing the damage. As long as the government can keep us divided, they win, we lose. But, try telling that to citizens and see how far you get. I see division every single day on this forum, in almost every post and comment. I see posts and comments about slamming those that are labeled "liberals", "conservatives", "moderates", "Republicans", "Democrats", "right wings", "left wings", and "independents". And, no one ever stops to think that the government is enjoying every single minute of it. The worst fear of our government is a united citizenry. They know that if we ever unite as Americans, and trash those ridiculous silly labels, then they'll be forced to do their job, which is fairly, equally, and justly representing ALL AMERICANS.

What's so amazing to me is that there are so many well educated and brilliant minds in this country, yet they leave their brains at home when they go to the polls to vote on election day. Another thing that amazes me is the fact that we're flooded every single day with news about the problems in this country, and we actually see it and experience it on Main Street America all across this nation. Yet, voters forget everything they've seen and experienced, and continue to elect and to re-elect professional politicians to run this once great nation. Go figure. In addition, they vote the self-serving egotistical power hungry crooks into office, then spend the next four years complaining. Voters aid and abet the crooks, then wonder why we have growing poverty, a declining economy, injustices in our judicial system, unfair taxation, disrespect from our many allies, rundown infrastructure, an astronomical and rising national debt, illegal immigration issues, government corruption, senseless deadly costly wars, lose of privacy, unaffordable health care, the rising cost of higher education, low wages, import dependency, cities going bankrupt, troubled pension funds, out-of-control law enforcement personnel, lost industries and lost skills, and millions receiving some form of government assistance.

Americans have let America down. American voters have allowed our government to become an entity unto itself, answerable to no one except itself. The power of the people is now so weak, that the power rest with the government. We don't tell the government what to do, they tell us what they're going to do. The government exerts its will, and not the will of the people. Yet, we run to the polls every election cycle and allow them to continue to send this once great nation down into the abyss of ruin. And the main cause for all of this, is "DIVISION". Division is weakness, and we're very weak.

 

[Mad Scientist]

If you don't mow yer lawn, yer with the Terrorists!

 

[Moonglow]

It's Texass, what do you expect?? For it to be any different than say New York?

 

[mdk]

He shouldn't not have gone to jail and his fine was way too steep but letting your grass get 6 inches high is pretty silly. Was his land in the middle of the sticks or was it in town? Neither him nor his daughter had time to cut the crass? Not buying it.

 

[defcon4]

Grand Prairie, TX — A hard-working Texas man was thrown in jail after a warrant was issued for his arrest for an overgrown lawn.
Protecting and Serving Texas Man Thrown in Jail for Weeks because his Lawn was Overgrown The Free Thought Project
Rick Yoes is the campus electrician for Tarrant County College and usually works from before sun-up to after sun-down.
In September of last year, he and his daughter had been hard at work and were unable to cut the lawn on their Grand Prairie home. The local government then claimed that because Yoes could not mow hiss lawn, he now owed them $1,700 for his grass that achieved a height of over six inches.
1700$ only because you didn't cut the lawn... Damn, i understand that some stupid laws were "born" because there were incidents(Of course i'm talking about stupid laws, like Alabama's prohibition on playing dominoes on sunday)
This guy is just average worker, just average citizen who wanna live good, but should work on bad job to earn some... Why government is spitting in his face?

Shameful. There should be protests in the streets and riots. People better wake up and stop the damn law ( law enforcement ) from taking over this country. Our entire judicial system should be wiped out and completely over-hauled. Dumb laws, cowboy cops, corrupt courts, and marshal law are destroying this nation. I hope someone realizes that you can only push people so far before all hell will break loose. The American people need to take control of this country before it's too late.

It is too late.
"Famously, eight years before Lincoln's speech, during the Senate debate on the Compromise of 1850, Sam Houston had proclaimed: "A nation divided against itself cannot stand."
Lincoln s House Divided Speech - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

Yes, we are very much divided, and I preach about that every single day. A people divided, plays right into the hands of those doing the damage. As long as the government can keep us divided, they win, we lose. But, try telling that to citizens and see how far you get. I see division every single day on this forum, in almost every post and comment. I see posts and comments about slamming those that are labeled "liberals", "conservatives", "moderates", "Republicans", "Democrats", "right wings", "left wings", and "independents". And, no one ever stops to think that the government is enjoying every single minute of it. The worst fear of our government is a united citizenry. They know that if we ever unite as Americans, and trash those ridiculous silly labels, then they'll be forced to do their job, which is fairly, equally, and justly representing ALL AMERICANS.

What's so amazing to me is that there are so many well educated and brilliant minds in this country, yet they leave their brains at home when they go to the polls to vote on election day. Another thing that amazes me is the fact that we're flooded every single day with news about the problems in this country, and we actually see it and experience it on Main Street America all across this nation. Yet, voters forget everything they've seen and experienced, and continue to elect and to re-elect professional politicians to run this once great nation. Go figure. In addition, they vote the self-serving egotistical power hungry crooks into office, then spend the next four years complaining. Voters aid and abet the crooks, then wonder why we have growing poverty, a declining economy, injustices in our judicial system, unfair taxation, disrespect from our many allies, rundown infrastructure, an astronomical and rising national debt, illegal immigration issues, government corruption, senseless deadly costly wars, lose of privacy, unaffordable health care, the rising cost of higher education, low wages, import dependency, cities going bankrupt, troubled pension funds, out-of-control law enforcement personnel, lost industries and lost skills, and millions receiving some form of government assistance.

Americans have let America down. American voters have allowed our government to become an entity unto itself, answerable to no one except itself. The power of the people is now so weak, that the power rest with the government. We don't tell the government what to do, they tell us what they're going to do. The government exerts its will, and not the will of the people. Yet, we run to the polls every election cycle and allow them to continue to send this once great nation down into the abyss of ruin. And the main cause for all of this, is "DIVISION". Division is weakness, and we're very weak.

Legislative bodies, executive bodies and judicial bodies reflect the depravity of the populace at large in a country. Dumbed down education, trophy for everybody mentality, SINGLE ISSUE voters and political correctness have borne the fruit what we are harvesting.

 

[defcon4]

He shouldn't not have gone to jail and his fine was way too steep but letting your grass get 6 inches high is pretty silly. Was his land in the middle of the sticks or was it in town? Neither him nor his daughter had time to cut the crass? Not buying it.

Some other communities hire a landscaper to mow the grass then charge the fee back to the property owner. I am not taking a position if it is the right or wrong way to take care of the issue but it sure is more reasonable than to send somebody to jail. The question is: does anybody own property in the country? (try not to pay property taxes to find out)

 

[Sonny Clark]

He shouldn't not have gone to jail and his fine was way too steep but letting your grass get 6 inches high is pretty silly. Was his land in the middle of the sticks or was it in town? Neither him nor his daughter had time to cut the crass? Not buying it.

It's his land. No, wait. It's the government's land. Everything belongs to the government, we're just mere stewards of what the government owns.

There could be other issues that came into play for the grass not to be mowed. This is the first year that I have to hire someone to mow my lawn, even though I love doing it myself, and always have. The arthritis in my upper spine and my bad legs wont allow me to do it this year. I have it mowed every ten days. We don't know for sure that the man and his daughter may have had other reasons for not mowing the grass. Sometimes we are quick to judge others without knowing the full story.

 

[gipper]

Stories like this seem more commonplace every day.

The police state keeps rolling on.

It has been reported that Americans break the law three times every day on average. And yet, Americans think they are free.

 

[Sonny Clark]

Grand Prairie, TX — A hard-working Texas man was thrown in jail after a warrant was issued for his arrest for an overgrown lawn.
Protecting and Serving Texas Man Thrown in Jail for Weeks because his Lawn was Overgrown The Free Thought Project
Rick Yoes is the campus electrician for Tarrant County College and usually works from before sun-up to after sun-down.
In September of last year, he and his daughter had been hard at work and were unable to cut the lawn on their Grand Prairie home. The local government then claimed that because Yoes could not mow hiss lawn, he now owed them $1,700 for his grass that achieved a height of over six inches.
1700$ only because you didn't cut the lawn... Damn, i understand that some stupid laws were "born" because there were incidents(Of course i'm talking about stupid laws, like Alabama's prohibition on playing dominoes on sunday)
This guy is just average worker, just average citizen who wanna live good, but should work on bad job to earn some... Why government is spitting in his face?

Shameful. There should be protests in the streets and riots. People better wake up and stop the damn law ( law enforcement ) from taking over this country. Our entire judicial system should be wiped out and completely over-hauled. Dumb laws, cowboy cops, corrupt courts, and marshal law are destroying this nation. I hope someone realizes that you can only push people so far before all hell will break loose. The American people need to take control of this country before it's too late.

It is too late.
"Famously, eight years before Lincoln's speech, during the Senate debate on the Compromise of 1850, Sam Houston had proclaimed: "A nation divided against itself cannot stand."
Lincoln s House Divided Speech - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

Yes, we are very much divided, and I preach about that every single day. A people divided, plays right into the hands of those doing the damage. As long as the government can keep us divided, they win, we lose. But, try telling that to citizens and see how far you get. I see division every single day on this forum, in almost every post and comment. I see posts and comments about slamming those that are labeled "liberals", "conservatives", "moderates", "Republicans", "Democrats", "right wings", "left wings", and "independents". And, no one ever stops to think that the government is enjoying every single minute of it. The worst fear of our government is a united citizenry. They know that if we ever unite as Americans, and trash those ridiculous silly labels, then they'll be forced to do their job, which is fairly, equally, and justly representing ALL AMERICANS.

What's so amazing to me is that there are so many well educated and brilliant minds in this country, yet they leave their brains at home when they go to the polls to vote on election day. Another thing that amazes me is the fact that we're flooded every single day with news about the problems in this country, and we actually see it and experience it on Main Street America all across this nation. Yet, voters forget everything they've seen and experienced, and continue to elect and to re-elect professional politicians to run this once great nation. Go figure. In addition, they vote the self-serving egotistical power hungry crooks into office, then spend the next four years complaining. Voters aid and abet the crooks, then wonder why we have growing poverty, a declining economy, injustices in our judicial system, unfair taxation, disrespect from our many allies, rundown infrastructure, an astronomical and rising national debt, illegal immigration issues, government corruption, senseless deadly costly wars, lose of privacy, unaffordable health care, the rising cost of higher education, low wages, import dependency, cities going bankrupt, troubled pension funds, out-of-control law enforcement personnel, lost industries and lost skills, and millions receiving some form of government assistance.

Americans have let America down. American voters have allowed our government to become an entity unto itself, answerable to no one except itself. The power of the people is now so weak, that the power rest with the government. We don't tell the government what to do, they tell us what they're going to do. The government exerts its will, and not the will of the people. Yet, we run to the polls every election cycle and allow them to continue to send this once great nation down into the abyss of ruin. And the main cause for all of this, is "DIVISION". Division is weakness, and we're very weak.

Legislative bodies, executive bodies and judicial bodies reflect the depravity of the populace at large in a country. Dumbed down education, trophy for everybody mentality, SINGLE ISSUE voters and political correctness have borne the fruit what we are harvesting.

But, we can learn from our mistakes and do better in the future. We don't have to be dumb forever.

 

[Mad Scientist]

I WISH they'd throw me in jail for not mowing my lawn, I'd be rich!

 

[Iceweasel]

Every time I get redirected to The Freethought Project I find it anything but. The cops have nothing to do with it, if they are ordered to arrest the guy that's their job. If they both work so much surely they have the money to hire lawn maintenance, it a very competitive business (some may not exactly have green cards).

The hysteria driven piece isn't even handed, none of them are but I'm sure there's more to the story. Like the fines probably added up and he ignored them. Also if some of you shrill types will think about it, tall dry grass is very flammable and that's probably why they have the law. How would you like your house burned down because someone's hay field next door?

 

[mdk]

He shouldn't not have gone to jail and his fine was way too steep but letting your grass get 6 inches high is pretty silly. Was his land in the middle of the sticks or was it in town? Neither him nor his daughter had time to cut the crass? Not buying it.

It's his land. No, wait. It's the government's land. Everything belongs to the government, we're just mere stewards of what the government owns.

There could be other issues that came into play for the grass not to be mowed. This is the first year that I have to hire someone to mow my lawn, even though I love doing it myself, and always have. The arthritis in my upper spine and my bad legs wont allow me to do it this year. I have it mowed every ten days. We don't know for sure that the man and his daughter may have had other reasons for not mowing the grass. Sometimes we are quick to judge others without knowing the full story.

Oh this story is certainly lacking in some serious details and there could be some other issue involved but the article is quite vague. I get that this his land but that doesn't mean you can allow your grass to get so high that it attracts mice or rats that can cause a nuisance/public health risk to his surrounding neighbors.

 

[Sonny Clark]

He shouldn't not have gone to jail and his fine was way too steep but letting your grass get 6 inches high is pretty silly. Was his land in the middle of the sticks or was it in town? Neither him nor his daughter had time to cut the crass? Not buying it.

It's his land. No, wait. It's the government's land. Everything belongs to the government, we're just mere stewards of what the government owns.

There could be other issues that came into play for the grass not to be mowed. This is the first year that I have to hire someone to mow my lawn, even though I love doing it myself, and always have. The arthritis in my upper spine and my bad legs wont allow me to do it this year. I have it mowed every ten days. We don't know for sure that the man and his daughter may have had other reasons for not mowing the grass. Sometimes we are quick to judge others without knowing the full story.

Oh this story is certainly lacking in some serious details and there could be some other issue involved but the article is quite vague. I get that this his land but that doesn't mean you can allow your grass to get so high that it attracts mice or rats that can cause a nuisance/public health risk to his surrounding neighbors.

There's also the time element to consider. How long did the grass grow before he was ticketed and fined? Was it months? Was the lawn ignored for a long time?

 

[Sonny Clark]

Every time I get redirected to The Freethought Project I find it anything but. The cops have nothing to do with it, if they are ordered to arrest the guy that's their job. If they both work so much surely they have the money to hire lawn maintenance, it a very competitive business (some may not exactly have green cards).

The hysteria driven piece isn't even handed, none of them are but I'm sure there's more to the story. Like the fines probably added up and he ignored them. Also if some of you shrill types will think about it, tall dry grass is very flammable and that's probably why they have the law. How would you like your house burned down because someone's hay field next door?

Yes, there are issues to consider. But, I'm not so sure those issues warrant jail time and a ridiculous fine.

 

[August West]

Tall grass doesn`t attract mice or rats but it devalues the neighboring properties and no, he doesn`t belong in jail. Texas once gave a guy 10 years in jail for having 2 joints so nothing that happens in that strange land surprises me. This guy ended up using all of his vacation days so he can serve his time. A better idea would have been to use 1 vacation day to mow his lawn after being warned. This guy has racked up 59 violations since 1996 so I`d have to say he`s somewhat of an idiot.
Overgrown lawn gets Texas man thrown in jail - NY Daily News

 

[Iceweasel]

Every time I get redirected to The Freethought Project I find it anything but. The cops have nothing to do with it, if they are ordered to arrest the guy that's their job. If they both work so much surely they have the money to hire lawn maintenance, it a very competitive business (some may not exactly have green cards).

The hysteria driven piece isn't even handed, none of them are but I'm sure there's more to the story. Like the fines probably added up and he ignored them. Also if some of you shrill types will think about it, tall dry grass is very flammable and that's probably why they have the law. How would you like your house burned down because someone's hay field next door?

Yes, there are issues to consider. But, I'm not so sure those issues warrant jail time and a ridiculous fine.

For me it depends how long it went on. Some people are stubborn enough to warrant attention getting methods. Even a lawnmower can start a fire in tall dry grass.