Stay-at-home Texas mom says there's a warrant out for her arrest over unreturned library book: 'I thought it was a joke'

A stay-at-home mother in Texas said she was shocked when she was informed that there was a warrant out for her arrest over an unreturned library book.

Kaylee Morgan said it was an oversized book for home-schooling about Vincent Van Gogh that she borrowed in 2023.

She got the bad news after trying to get her driver’s license renewed and was rejected.

“When I get there, they told me they can’t renew it because I have a warrant out for my arrest,” the mother of five children
told KPRC-TV. “I am just shocked. I literally laughed out loud. I said this has to be a joke and it wasn’t.”

Morgan admits that she was unable to return the book in a timely fashion because she was pregnant at the time, had complications, and also went through a move to a new residence, so she didn’t receive notices about the late book. However, she feels that the consequences she is facing are far too steep.

She was charged with theft of government property and had to drive hours away to plead her case to a judge. Morgan said that the judge was completely unsympathetic to her explanations.

“It was not a pleasant experience,” she said to KPRC.

Morgan told the judge that her husband had tried to return the book but that it did not fit into the drop-off box and he could not go inside because the library was closed when he went. After they returned the book, they did not receive any notices because they had moved away and believed the issue had been settled. But it was not.

“She told me to stop making excuses and I needed to take responsibility,” Morgan explained. “She said it was my responsibility to update the library with my change of address because we moved.”

She said she offered to pay for the book, but the judge said they were long past that point.

Morgan began a
GoFundMe account to help her pay the fine and to pay for her legal expenses. She’s already gotten enough donations to pay the original fine.

“I’m just a mom with 5 kids trying to homeschool and spread kindness,” she wrote. “This is unjust. Please spread the word.”