Wednesday, April 29, 2009

More Than Meets the Text

Is Susan Henwood, a Utah mother of four, a martyr for First Amendment and open court values, or a cunning member of a two person conspiracy? It's hard to tell, based on this news piece, passed along via SL&P. Here's what we do know:

In early April, Joshua [aka Mr. Henwood] was sick and couldn't make his court appearance in a debt collection case. He sent Susan to ask for a continuance and to keep him updated, so she sent a text that said: 'It doesn't look good for you' and 'They're coming for the Polaris Ranger.'

The Polaris was one of several items the other side of the case wanted to sell to recoup supposed losses.
For her trouble, Henwood was thrown in jail for 30 days for contempt of court. Not, the judge insists, for the sin of texting, but for what she texted.

Has Henwood been wronged? As her husband points out, you don't get than kind of time for DUI, so it seems extreme for texting in court.

Unless, of course, the whole thing was a setup. Was Henwood's husband really "sick," so much so he couldn't come to court? Why, precisely, would he need a "heads up" that someone was coming for the property? It's a little suspicious. It certainly sets my cynical sense a tingling. But I'd like to think that the judge had something more than a hunch to go on before locking her up for a month.

No comments: