Wait, seriously?
A mum in the United States was arrested for taking away her daughter’s cell phone as a form of discipline.
In April, Jodie May confiscated her 15-year-old daughter’s iPhone after she got in trouble at school.
However, according to WOOD-TV, her ex-husband thought he owned the phone – so he called the police and claimed that her punishment was actually a crime.
He filed a complaint with the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office and accused her of stealing the phone.
The mum was arrested in May and later released on $200 bond. She was charged with misdemeanour larceny under $200, which carries a maximum sentence of 93 days in jail.
The news outlet notes that May’s trial was set to begin on Tuesday, but prosecutors added another charge – larceny by conversion. While another misdemeanour, it was also punishable by up to 93 days.
Moments before the first witnesses were called, prosecutors are said to have approached the judge with new information – namely that the ex-husband didn’t actually own the phone, the daughter did.
This meant that since the daughter was a minor, the mum was within her rights to confiscate the phone – so the prosecutors asked the judge to drop the charges.
After the news, May said:
“I think it’s ridiculous.
“I would like answers on why it got so far and how it got this far, where this happened within my home. I’m disciplining my child, then I’m being the one handcuffed.
“I can’t believe I had to be put through it, my daughter had to be put through it, my family.
“I’m very surprised, but I’m very happy with the outcome.”
