*Actress Tika Sumpter says that her mother, Janice Acquista, was arrested this week for an overdue library book in North Carolina.
“Make sure you turn in your library books North Carolina!” the “Southside With You” star tweeted on Monday. “My mom was just arrested for having a late fee of 10 dollars on an overdue book!”
“An overdue book should NEVER result in a warrant,” the 36-year-old new mom added, tagging the Smithfield County library, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory and North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper. “This is a legal scam.”
She was bombarded with a flurry of tweets questioning if she was serious, to which she replied, “As serious as a heart attack.” Sumpter says her mother returned the book some time ago, but it wasn’t entered into the system.
READ RELATED STORY: Laurence Fishburne, Royalty Hightower Set for Crime Thriller ‘Ruby in Murdertown’
Officials at the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office said the arrest warrant was filed because Tika’s mom wrote a check that bounced, and never made good on the payment afterward, Page Six notes.
“It was a worthless check, and the D.A.’s office took out a warrant for her,” said Tammy Amaon, a public information officer for the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office.
Sumpter’s mother wasn’t in jail for long. 65-year-old Acquista paid a $500 bond after receiving the arrest warrant on Monday.
“She’s out now,” Tika tweeted. “Every cop at the jail thought it was absolutely ridiculous. They couldn’t even believe it.”
According to the library’s website, overdue books accrue a 25-cent fine per day, while overdue offenders of audio books, movies and CDs rack up 50 cents every 24 hours. But nowhere on the website does it mention the possibility of an arrest. Sumpter said officials at the library went as far as to put out a warrant for her arrest.
“Treated like a criminal for a late fee of 10 dollars for overdue books from the library,” she tweeted. “Libraries now put out warrants.”
An overdue book should NEVER result in a warrant. This is a legal scam. @northcarolina @SmithfieldLibra @PatMcCroryNC @RoyCooperNC
— Tika Sumpter (@iamtikasumpter) November 14, 2016
We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!
