Story Archive

Take My Land, Take My Fines

Last July, truck driver David Englett tried to renew his license and discovered there were warrants out on him. He had, it seemed, been accused of failing to maintain his house and land in Arlington, Texas, and get a license for his burglar alarm; there were fines the city wanted to collect. The problem: the house and land are no longer his, since his bank had foreclosed, and Englett moved away. “I didn’t live there, so why would I worry about it?” Englett said. “I feel like I’m being punished for something I didn’t do.” Yet so far, Englett has paid the city $150 to stop blocking his license — and has spent hours cleaning up the property that the bank now owns. (AC/KTVT Dallas) ...Now let’s see if the town is clever enough to fine him for trespassing.