A Michigan couple could be serving time in jail for failing to return two books to a public library.
Catherine and Melvin Duren made a brief court appearance in Tecumseh on Thursday on charges of larceny of rental equipment for failing to return two books to the library on time.
According to WXYZ Detroit, the couple’s teenaged son used Catherine’s library card to borrow a copy of a Dr. Seuss book in 2014 to read to their granddaughter. However, the book was misplaced and never returned.
According to ABC News, the library sent several late notices to the teenager via email, but the boy never informed his parents about the emails.
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Last year, Catherine used her husband’s card to check out The Rome Prophecy for him to read, but failed to return the book for eight months, according to WXYZ Detroit. The couple told the news station that they received a letter demanding them to pay the late fees, return the books or pay replacement costs or they could face criminal charges.
“I never thought a Dr. Seuss book would lead to this,” Catherine told WXYZ Detroit following her court appearance. “Nothing was stolen, we borrowed a book and I lost it.”
Catherine said she sent a $55 money order to a prosecutor’s office to cover the fees incurred from the lost Dr. Seuss book. However, the prosecutor still charged her with a misdemeanour of failure to return rental property, a charge that could lead to 90 days in jail and a $500 fine.
“I can’t imagine going to jail over it, I’ll certainly fight these charges because I’m not guilty,” Catherine said.
Melvin also faces charges over the crime novel.
“I’m willing to pay the fines from the library and promise to never go back there anymore,” Melvin told WXYZ Detroit.
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