Overdue library books a crime?
Friday, May 05, 2006
BONHAM � Overdue library books a crime?

Librarian Barbara McCutcheon is so fed up with overdue books, she wants the violators arrested. Believe it or not, the police chief agreed.

"If Barbara has books out that are not returned, then we will make reports and begin to seek arrest warrants. We will start arresting people for prosecution after the 15th," said Mike Bankston, chief of the Police Department in Bonham, a city of about 10,000 people 70 miles northeast of Dallas.

McCutcheon said nearly 300 items, including books, tapes, CDs and videocassettes, checked out in 2005 have not been returned to the city library. She said she hasn't compiled the number of items overdue this year.

Recent announcement of the May 15 deadline prompted the return of about 25 items. Those who don't return overdue items could be charged with misdemeanors. "I'm cracking down on these people stealing from the city. If there were a compressor stolen from the street department, every policeman in town would be out there looking for the person who took it," she said.

For a prior discussion on whether overdue checkouts amounted to theft, go to this link.

Rereading the former thread on prosecuting persons who check out books and other items from a library and then fail to return the items after receiving a demand letter made me wonder if this conduct would qualify as theft of service--the service being the "rental" of the item. I live in Williamson county (Go John and crew!), but outside the city limits of Round Rock. So I get to pay a fee every year for the privilege of using the City Library.

I'm not a prosecutor, so it's JMHO.

Janette Ansolabehere