Overdue library books lead to Missouri woman’s arrest

STE. GENEVIEVE COUNTY, Mo. – Farmington Municipal Judge Edward Pultz ordered a woman to be arrested and fingerprinted in a case of public library books and a DVD that hadn’t been returned yet.

But this escalated due to more than just overdue library items.

Jessica Farlow, 36, of Ste. Genevieve County, checked out three books and a DVD in June. Despite months of phone calls and mail from both the library and police, the items never showed up.

There was no manhunt, but Farlow was arrested Friday, according to police.

A warrant for her arrest came after a failure to appear in court, not the overdue library material.

A citation and summons were issued in October after Farlow allegedly failed to return the items. Visitors to the library say they are hardly overbearing, as fines are only 15 cents a day, maxing out at $8.

“We try to contact folks for months: phone calls, letters,” Travis Trokey, library director, said. “(Then), we’ll pass it off to police. They’ll make attempts. Typically, (the items) come back when police make contact. We’ll always work with folks, no matter what their circumstance is.”

Farlow’s case passed another threshold when she failed to appear in court on that summons in November and again in January, according to authorities. That’s when the judge issued an arrest warrant for failure to appear.

The overdue materials have totaled $64, but now Farlow faces criminal penalties of up to a $500 fine and up to three months in jail.

Farmington Police encountered Farlow in an unrelated matter Friday, discovered the outstanding warrant, and arrested her.

“I think that might have been overstepping but probably not; maybe she won’t ever do it again,” library patron, Linda Groat, said.

Police released Farlow the same day she was arrested, but she has yet to return the items to the library and now has a new court date set for next month.