South Carolina Woman Jailed For Having Messy Yard

January 12, 2012 10:39 AM

File photo of possessions on front yard. (credit: John Moore/Getty Images)

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foreclosure, jail, Linda Ruggles, messy yard

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (AP) — A Mount Pleasant woman is serving 10 days in jail after failing to pay a $480 fine for having a messy yard.

The Post and Courier of Charleston reports 53-year-old Linda Ruggles has sold blood and even volunteered for medical experiments to get money to keep her home from foreclosure.

Ruggles is a photographer whose business tanked during the recession. She was fined in 2010 after neighbors complained.

The town says it tried to work with her and the police chief offered to round up some young people to help her clean up.

A municipal judge ordered Ruggles to pay the fine or go to jail for 10 days. Officials say she didn’t pay the fine within 90 days and then ignored court appearances and warnings from the town.

South Carolina Woman Jailed For Having Messy Yard

Jim50

This proves the government is TOO BIG! We need to cut ALL government in 1/2 NOW!

Republicrat

1/2? How about 1/4 or 1/8?

Put these petty bureaucrats out of a job.

Aaron

No, actually 1/2. And never start small when negiotiating with bureacrats so I say 3/4. .
laffin’atcha

republicrat, 1/4 or 1/8 is even less than 1/2. What’s your idea of the right size?
Reality Check

Mt. Pleasant is just over the bridge from Charleston, a place where the people make the entire south look bad.

I just got back from a one week vacation there and those are the angriest, worse drivers I have ever seen; and I once lived in Washington D.C. / northern Virgina so that is saying something.
Ken

well obviously it’s got to be by the difference between expenditures and receipts.. so around 1/3, probably more if GDP and inflation start going in opposite directions in the coming months/years.
Mike

Republicrat: you must be a product of the American education system. Your math skills are a perfect example of why we need to disband the teachers union.
OBEYTHELAW

Politicians are hypocrites and liars and greedy.

GOOGLE EXCLUDED INCOME

Make YOUR government obey the law.

huffmamw

And this has what to do with the fact that she has a junk yard in front of her house? You want to live next door to that?

Ray

File photo for dramatic effect. Actual House probably not shown… read the fine print.
S22

We all understand a messy yard, and believe people should keep stuff picked up. But really resorting to jail time, thats a big steep. She did ignore notices and everything but still.
Just more of the times today

http://www.dailyjobcuts.com
Fedup

Better than the A**Holes I live next to, or have lived next to.
Mr Angry

Nobody wants to live next door to that, but it is utterly insane to imprison anybody for having a messy yard.

In an America where the president refuses to do anything about illegal immigrants, and actively works against those States th
at try to do something themselves, locking a woman up for a messy yard in just plain madness and clearly indicates the urgent need for a LOT less government and a LOT less Democrats elected.
Marc M

So don’t live next door to her.

Who are you to say how I should keep my yard?

Who are people to tell me what colors I can and can’t paint my fence?

Worry about your own yard and your own house.
JA

Was thinking she has a perpetual yrd sale, since she is hard up for money.
John C

Many people have the crazy idea that they actually own their property and can do on it whatever they please. Sad, silly little people.
Reality Check

I would rather live next door to her, than you, huffmamw,
wildbill6996

Whoever Marc is, i hope one of these A-HOLES moves in next door to you. WATCH HOW FAST YOU CHANGE YOUR OPINION. That is unless YOU’RE the neighborhood (((( PIG )))))) in your neighborhood !!!!!!
Samuel

When you join a neighborhood that has a housing code, you have to follow it. When you sign that contract, it might as well be law. That means keeping the fence white, the lawn trimmed and the garbage inside the house and not all over the front lawn.

I’m not saying I approve, but the entire thing is based off of keeping up housing prices. No one’s gonna buy a house on a block where someone trashes their front lawn. I sure wouldn’t. I’d see that and keep going past the showing.

They hit her with a fine, she ignored it [due to being unable to pay] like she probably did all her other bills, this one just happened to have county law behind it. Its notoriously difficult for a credit card company to send you to jail because you’re not paying your bills. The same can’t be said for the county.

Sucks. Should’ve bought in an area that didn’t care. We’ve got 20+ states in the center of the country who don’t care if you have a collection of old vehicles or junk.
FNP

Wow, little biased towards coastal states, are ya? Got news for ya – people in the center of the country like nice neighborhoods just the same as those on the coast do.
onceproudamerica

If you have such delicate sensibilities you need to live somewhere with covenants or a HOA. Freedom isn’t tidy!!!

I don’t like seeing people wearing ‘sweats’, it’s MY problem not theirs…

giggles-o-plenty

Government way too big? Would you want Sanford and Sons living next to you? I wouldn’t want a landfill next to my house and really don’t think my neighbors would either.

semus

This persons response is an example of how far down our country has gone. Giggles why don’t you try reading a few books, and educating yourself? Instead of complaining to the police these people should checked on their neighbor and lent a hand. I would rather have neighgbors like Sanford, then anticeptic cowards like those hiding safely their homes reporting people. Neighborhoods were never intended to be about propety values, that came later along with politicians like Clinton, and Obama.
Police are Useless

I’d only call police if rats were involved. Then it’s a health hazard.
My neighbor has accused me of stealing from them, even though, I have been stolen from, as well. I put up a fence after the second accusation. Police won’t do a thing about the theft, but they find time in Mt. Pleasant to do this.
Marc M

Then don’t live next to one.

You keep your house, if you own one which I doubt, how you want it and let others keep theirs how they want it.

If there aren’t rats or safety hazards from what is there then it is none of your business.

Perhaps you should buy her property if it means that much to you?
Reality Check

If the lady is already selling her blood to make her mortgage payments she is not going to lose her house to avoid going to jail for a couple of days.

The city should just execute her or let her go, anything else is just plain stupid, with a capital S.
alc

Yeah, I’d seriously not mind Sanford & Son living next door. I’m in a rural area. We’re tolerant. We’ve got all races, all creeds, all degrees of neatness or mess and our way of living is LIVE AND LET-LIVE and LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR. OK so we don’t love the schizophrenic druggie next door (this is not fiction) but we tolerate. He doesn’t bother us, we don’t bother him. We look out for each other out here.

We’ve got donkeys. We’ve got chickens. We’ve got melodramatic geese. Horses, often I see more horse traffic than car traffic on the street. Kids on minibikes. Tractors. And my “winter uniform” is often sweatpants, fleece, and rubber boots.

I used to live in the city/suburbia. All I can think now is: Put too many rats in a box….

http://originrichmond.wordpress.com Matt who? Mattchew!

Aside from the death penality, jail is the biggest stripping of liberties. Jail for something so petty as this is absurd when jail should be reserved only for those who endanger society. Yes her yard may be messy and not the social norm, but jail? really? Wow!

trapper

jail time? how does that help the cleanup? let me answer for you….it’s stupid!
i agree

1776

Absolutely! This nanny (& police) state totalitarian nonsense needs to cease!
mkurbo

Enough is enough !
50% cut in the Fed. Gov. immediately !

Bob Villa

I agree with cutting the Fed, but this is the city government.

Skep41

Even if we cut government in half both halves would continue to grow.
Newshound

I don’t even think her yard was that bad, plus she was spending all her money just to keep from foreclosure! There is vid of her house and arrest here http://www.abcnews4.com/story/16509909/mt-pleasant-woman-jailed-after-failing-to-pay-fine-for-messy-yard
PDXGuy

So what does big government have to do with messy yards? It’s a local city thing and boy, I’d be grateful to them if I had a neighbor like that…I mean look at it, no steady work so I’m sure she has the time to deal with it, maybe she should sell the junk if it’s worth anything.
Dave Mowers

Have you heard about the woman going to federal prison over a lemon tree? How about the father who’s facing a quarter million dollar fine for breeding too many bunny rabbits?
http://www.catholic-concepts.com Margaret

or even more than half. our fearless leaders can steal trillions, murder millions, and provoke a global nuclear war but don’t even get a slap on the wrist. these petty officials are WAY out of their league and their power needs to be stripped from them.
jimbobkalina

It wasnt a government problem. It was a “neighbor” problem. Probably church going evangelical types.

Bob Villla

Someone has issues to deal with.

Logo4245

Usually, almost always, I would take the side of the property owner, but as a southerner, piles of trash like that attract snakes. It is not fun to wake up to a copperhead on your front lawn because your neighbor has built a habitat. People need to be considerate of their neighbors – it’s just part of living in a community.
James Arlington

I wonder how you would feel if she were your next door neighbor. Talk is cheap

joe

Now that’s what I call a community that gets behind you (and kicks you in the butt). Good old police involvement always gets the job done. I wonder how much that jail time costs the community? Around here it is about $500/day. The neighbors should stop complaining too, and be happy that the house hasn’t turned into an abandoned crack house. I’m sure her junk won’t drop their real estate values any further, especially after this story and nobody wants to live around a bunch that can’t mind their own business.
Bagbalm

Look at the picture. This is a JUNKYARD. Would you want to live next to this? Yes government can be overreaching, but she refused offers of help and ignored summons. There is more at work here than being broke. I’d bet she is a hoarder or some other mental illness. Where are here relatives?

Ray

That is a file photo, not the actual house in the story.

Read the fine print.

buddy

Actually, it is the house. The “file photo” indicates that the photo may not have been taken recently. It’s like when they show a “file photo” of a murder suspect the police are trying to find.
moreco2

CBS and Dan Rather – fake but accurate.
JimmyJohn

Buddy is a dummy.
frank

RAy sorry it says right under it file photo. You pay a fee and Getty images lets you have acess to thousands of file photos. for whatever you want. May be she deserves the jail time or not .The article is certanly a hack job. Yellow journalism when I went to school.
(File photo of possessions on front yard. (credit: John Moore/Getty Images)

Ed

It says, “file photo”. This is not the yard in question

I would bet it’s a picture of a foreclosure with the former owner’s stuff thrown out.

urdrwho

I agree. Looked at the photo through an app, zoomed in and there are things there that are too clean to have been outside for a long period.

Plus the two people in the picture seem to be carrying something like furniture (looking through zoom).

The standing fan would be inside and isn’t junk. The Mylar or cloth pumpkin would have blown away. Cardboard boxes that are intact, without any sign of rain worn.

This picture and the contents look like someone moving in or moving out.

I don’t believe this to be the real picture.
CDW

@ urdrwho – You are displaying some excellent reasoning and investigated the facts of this meda story instead of just blindly accepted the account we are being fed. The photograph is certainly meant to show worst case sensationalism and may even be an attempt to mitigate the injustice of the situation in favor of a political stance supporting the overbearance of government. If you do this too often you will be a threat to someone.
L Ron Armstrong

The app Tineye found another just like it at http://media.sbs.com.au/dateline/images/site_2_rand_872077700_american_house_0602_c_getty.jpg

semus

Typical kneejerk response, from a deep thinker.
trapper

bet how much… you dummy
redd foxx quote.
JA

Oh, maybe my previous reply/comment doesn’t apply (about her having an ongoing yard sale) since we don’t know how much stuff she had, or waht kind of stuff.
Brenda

If tthis lady can go to jail for her mess then OWS should have been locked up months ago. They have created a health hazard and safety hazard along with their mess

Logo4245

Valid point.

Murad

I used to work with a woman who hated our mutual boss (who I dkieisld also). And one day she was really indignant. I talked to Bill, she said, and he said he thought I didn’t like him! He told you that? Yeah! Why would he say that? Well, you don’t like him, I said. But he doesn’t know that! I thought it was funny how upset she was to be accused or something that was true. She seemed to actually think he was doing something wrong by believing (correctly) that she didn’t like him.I don’t think people either like me or don’t. Most of my peers didn’t like me when I was a kid, but I think most of my coworkers think I’m all right. I’m sure they gripe about me behind my back, like I do about them, but that’s normal. I haven’t known many adults (maybe one or two) who have made their dislike of me obvious enough for me to notice, which is just as well.
peg

You are right!

Dave Klaus

I’m not sure Jim50 what this has to do with too much government (I agree its too big though), I sure wouldn’t like to see that mess next door to my house, did you see the picture? She should have a yard sale if she’s already got all of the junk in the yard. Or, maybe she is doing a photo essay…

Ed

It says, “file photo”. This is not necessarily the yard in question

I would bet it’s a picture of a foreclosure with the former owner’s stuff thrown out.
Sohel

You need to just relax. Let it come as it will. If after relaxing, you aren’t titgeng what you want from her tell her. Be honest, upfront, and make sure you’re both on the same page about your relationship boundaries.Sometimes people aren’t good together after realizing what else is out there. Not to say either of you aren’t good enough for each other, but, you both deserve to be happy right?You aren’t being controlling, and the natural feeling of being obsessive towards her will go away with time.So, again, my short answer is to tell her exactly how you feel, or, be content with how things are.Let us know what happens after you talk, if you’d like.

Ben Franklin

They need to deport her neighbors to Cuba.

trapper

si si senor

ed

that yard is a disgrace. she should be in jail

SiouxFalls ChickenFighter

I don’t think that is really her yard; the identifier is for a stock photo, not her actual place. Pretty bad reporting if that is the case.

Leonor Fontes

Have a little compassion
LB

Your all dip-sh^ts, she had plenty of opportunities and was offered help. She went to jail for an unpaid fine and failures to appear in court not for the yard condition. She is very inconsiderate to her neighbors and the community.

moreco2

Sounds like you would be very happy in the Socialist Village of Boulder, CO. They fine everything, like if you don’t shovel the snow off your sidewalk within 24 hours. Why don’ t you go there?

Mountainman

Don’t get me started on the peoples republic of boulder. I used to do electrical work there. They actually have a big book of “approved” light fixtures. If a customer wanted a particular fixture, I would go to the permit offices and see if it was in the book. Can you believe that? If you own a dog, don’t go to boulder. In boulder, you are the “caretaker” of your dog. You can easily go to jail for things normal people do with their dogs all the time. An example would be leaving your dog in the car. The place is full of complete moron, ultra-liberals. What a wretched town…
moreco2

Very sick place full of very sick people. Like their University. People are thinking twice about sending there kids there.

Don’t Hate Me Cuz I’m Nazi

Achtung! Mach schnell!
Tom Menino

Another Obama voter heard from…

SiouxFalls ChickenFighter

I’m pretty sure that is a stock photo of an evicted household, not the household in question. Terribly disingenuous and deceitful of this CBS affiliate if that is the case.

Jim

That pretty much describes all news media here lately.
MaryAnn

Sioux you are correct. If you hold your cursor over the picture it states that it pertains to an eviction.

Midge Martin

Government is a bunch of power tripping ego maniacs. People that are paid with your wealth, extracted through taxation, with the threat of death force if you don’t play their inflated salaries. They are the degenerates.

http://911essentials.com
alanwillingham

Why stop at ugly yards? If appearance is the deciding factor here, when will we have punishments and fines for ugly people intentionally going out in public where they ruin the ability of others to enjoy the scenery.

And why even stop with just ugly people? How about massive fines and imprisonment for fat people and those who wear clothing that has gone out of style? And people with yapping dogs…. and beer bellies… and dyed hair… and those who say, “like, well…like, you know….”?

Indy Anna

alanwillingham, you sir, are an ass.

Ed

Sarcasm.Look it up.

Miguel

You sir are exactly correct! What sort of people have we Americans become? Looks and sounds to me like we indeed becoming the Ugly American, by throwing people in jail for this small gripe.

Clearly, she needed help, but more of a psychological nature. Only a sheriff like Andy of Mayberry cold have handled this in a positive manner, not the blustering threats coming from a bunch of local Nazis who are in government offices.
trapper

great retort alan ….. like you know?
1776

That probably lies in the cards of these statist totalitarians & their “nanny state” agenda.
Jim Carvile

I agree. Dwarves and fat chicks need to stay inside. They are distressing.
John C

It will happen.
heelers4me

Alan -You are absolutely right. Nosey neighbors and government officials have NO BUSINESS *DICTATING* how ppl want to live. Tired of being told what you can and can’t think, say and do? BLAME A LIBERAL!

Dave Turner

She missed the boat here. She should have called it an art piece and then she would have had people describing her genius.

And if there were vermin in there, she could have said it was a endangered species habitat.

People need to start hitting government with their own rules and see how they like it.

Tom Menino

Yes, by simply putting a cup full of urine on the front steps with a crucifix soaking in it, she could have gotten a few hundred thousand dollars in National Endowment of the Arts funding. Robert Maplethorpe would be proud.
trapper

beautiful response dave …. remember beauty is in the eye of the beholder
the trapper

Jimmy

The story headline is a complete LIE!
This woman was not “jailed for having a messy yard,” she was jailed for obeying the law. Even the article states: “A municipal judge ordered Ruggles to pay the fine or go to jail for 10 days. Officials say she didn’t pay the fine within 90 days and then ignored court appearances and warnings from the town.”

aubreyfarmer

And what kind of hardship did putting her in jail place on her family? Putting someone in jail should only be the last resort. What we have here is municipal authorities stepping all over this woman’s rights. Their crime is much greater than hers, but you won’t see them going to jail. What a bunch of fascist pigs. The day is coming when for little or no reason you too will be deprived of your liberty and your property for the most minor of infractions. You will think that what happened to this lady is just fine right up to the day that something similar happens to you or yours.

scruffy

There was a similar situation near where I live. Believe me, the local authorities did everything they could over a period of months before jailing the individual. Jailing the person “was” their last resort. Eventually, given enough time, non-compliance with the law with land you in jail.
Tom Menino

@scruffy: “Eventually, given enough time, non-compliance with the law [will] land you in jail, **unless you are an illegal immigrant, in which case Eric Holder’s Justice Deprt. will give you a free pass**.”

/ FTFY

G

Actually it isn’t the house – here is a picture from the postandcourier.com

http://www.postandcourier.com/photos/2012/jan/11/98423/

Atossa

.

Looks normal to me.

I wonder if an HOA is involved ?

.

G

And the full story to accompany it…. http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2012/jan/12/junky-yard-puts-woman-in-jail/

Newshound

And the video of her house and her arrest http://www.abcnews4.com/story/16509909/mt-pleasant-woman-jailed-after-failing-to-pay-fine-for-messy-yard

Andrew

This is typical for Mount Yuppie. They pride themselves in looking good and making sure property taxes drive out the scary black people. They’re only welcome to sit along 17 in decrepit shacks and sell sweetgrass baskets to nitwit tourists.

JM in San Diego CA

O-o-o-oh … the awesome power of the Race Card! I tremble as you roar.

aubreyfarmer

There was a much better way to handle this besides putting her in jail. Give her judicial notice and have a private contractor clean the mess up. Give her whatever time the law allows for her to redeem her junk and if she does not redeem it, then sell it at auction if possible. Any cost associated with the clean up and auction that are not paid for from the proceeds of the auction could then be placed against the property as a lien which would be satisfied at foreclosure or when the property is sold by the owner. Putting her is jail is like kicking someone when they are down. But of course that is what government is very good at.
imemine

I wouldn’t be too concerned with my neighbor’s opinion of my yard when I’m flat broke and unemployed. In fact, I would realize that it was busybodies just like these that are a big reason why I don’t have a job now and why no one is helping me, just complaining about my un-pretty yard. And fining me and throwing me in me jail. That helps everyone, right? Oh wait no – it just helps those who think their comfort is ALWAYS most important. She has sold blood and volunteered for medical experiments to get money. You don’t care. You just don’t want to have to be victimized by her messy yard. And that is much more important.
Howard Feinski

Hope she doesn’t junk up her jail cell.
Big Bear

We had a similar instance in my town. The people refused to clean their junk, and refused to pay fines and work with the city. No one in city government, or even the judge, wanted to jail them. They refused every offer to mitigate the situation. Finally, one of them ended up in jail, then I believe the State Mental Hospital.

Usually, obsessive trash hoarders have some mental issues, although there are a lot of meth addicts who collect and hoard trash as well.
fecepeople

Does she not own the property where her stuff is kept? We pay a lot of money for that you know. Is it BS? Do others still have more right to it? Then pay my mortgage. No? Then shut up. No? Then excuse me if I don’t care what you think about anything.
Dan Flaig

Fake photo in article, actuall photo is not so bad. Hey it’s HER house!
Wake up sheeple the Government is out to control your every move!
http://thedoverpro.wordpress.com thedoverpro

This is ridiculous. Neighbors complaining should be neighbors helping this woman clean up if need be. After seeing the real house picture, not this stock photo link bait deception, I understand the need to clean up, what I do not understand is why the neighbors simply did not knock on her door, and say ” Hi Linda, what can we do to help you out. I’d be happy to work with you to avoid problems with the city.” This is what I, and any decent person, would do.

JM in San Diego CA

Just supposin’ — since she thinks letting her place look that way is okay’ — any chance she’s got other flaws, like being the neighborhood witch?

Yes, friends, I’ve been there, Years ago two neighbors, husband and wife, both nutcases who did e-v-e-r-y-b-o-d-y in the the neighborhood a favor when they moved. No more chain link fence around the front yard, no more screaming imaginary complaints. (I could go on.)

Any chance the neighbors can’t stand her … and it’s all her?? Just supposin’.

Police are Useless

I happen to live there right now. I’ve only lived in 1 place for about 7 years that didn’t have complaining neighbors, so I’m guessing she’s the victim and not the perp.

Atossa

.

My first thought was that she had been evicted from
her home and all her household belongings had been
removed from the house and put to the curb as trash.

[I've seen that happen here many times.]

The article says she had been selling blood to try
to keep her house from foreclosure.

If that is what happened, then that takes the cake.
Foreclose on your home, trash all your belongings,
fine you for the trashed belongings, then jail you
for not paying the fine. What a wonderful country.

.
scruffy

What does the house being foreclosure have to do with having a messy yard? A poor person is still capable of picking up the junk in their yard. Why not have a yardsale?

Atossa

.

When a homeowner is evicted, all their belongings
are removed from the house and trashed at the curb.

In that file photo it appeared that had been done.

.

scruffy

The photo of her actual yard, while cluttered, certainly looks like a clean up is managable. It also appears that she is still the owner of the house. When banks forclose, they take ownership of the property and the contents left behind. .