Mother faces warrant for arrest after Navasota library fines add up to hundreds of dollars

NAVASOTA, Texas (KBTX) – A Central Texas mother is sharing her story in hopes of saving someone else from headaches and hundreds of dollars being lost.

Kaylee Morgan says she has a difficult time explaining to her kids she’s in trouble over books. In March 2023, she checked out two books at the Navasota Public Library. At the time, she was pregnant and suffering from hyperemesis, causing her to be sick all day long and on bed rest.

The books became overdue. Though they were eventually returned, the court was already involved. The library sent notices to an address Kaylee hadn’t lived at since before 2019, so she didn’t receive them and was under the impression they were returned with no problem.

“I went to renew my driver’s license online because of course, busy mom, and they wouldn’t let me renew online. So I had to make an appointment and she told me I couldn’t renew my license because ‘you have a warrant out for your arrest’ and I just laughed. Like I just laughed at her like, no that’s not a thing. And sure enough, I have a warrant out for my arrest,” Kaylee said. “So I called the court and they said it’s over theft of government property. And I’m just reeling like what in the world is happening? This can’t be true. And it was over a library book that I had turned in late.”

Kaylee appeared in court last week, thinking this was a big misunderstanding and looking forward to explaining herself to the judge. Instead, she was faced with some harsh words and a fine of almost $600. Kaylee said the books she checked out total about $60.

“Somehow the warrant actually came to my right address. So they had [the right address]. I don’t know where the mix-up is, where they sent the warrant to the right address, but that was signed by someone who was not me and that also has me a little bit baffled because I looked at the picture of it and it’s just a scribble, and I asked [the judge] who signed for it, and she said it was irrelevant,” Kaylee said.

Court documents even show the postal service returned the Overdue Notice to the city.

“The notices, [the judge] held them up to me. She showed me that they had all been returned.”

The judge told Kaylee that if she’s pulled over in Grimes County she will be arrested, whether she has any of her five kids in the vehicle with her or not.

“There are ways to hold people accountable and accept responsibility without throwing people in jail and separating them from their children. I could be taking from my infant, who is three months old and relies on me solely because she is exclusively breastfed, so they could take me from my family and put me in jail over a book and that seems ridiculous,” she said.

Kaylee and her kids now live in Smithville. But, that doesn’t mean a trip to the library comes without hesitation.

“We took [the kids] to the library in Smithville where we live now. And we were walking there and they were like ‘Mom I don’t want you to go to jail’ so now they’re scared to go to their favorite place in the world and that’s hard,” she said.

Kaylee started a GoFundMe to help with the cost of the fine. She made her original goal but says the new goal is $3,000 to help with the cost for a lawyer willing to take her case. Any additional funds raised will be donated to the Smithville Public Library.

KBTX reached out to the Navasota Public Library but was directed to the city’s legal team. They have not responded to our request for comment.

Court documents for library fine and warrant for arrest by KBTX on Scribd

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