An 82-year-old woman was arrested for failure to pay for her trash services, according to the Valley Police Department.
WTVM reported that the City of Valley Code Enforcement Officers issued Martha Louis Menefield a citation in August 2022 for not paying for trash services for June, July, and August. Code Enforcement claims they attempted to call Menefield several times with no response. Code enforcement left a door hanger containing information for her to appear in court on September 7. When Menefield didn’t appear in court, a warrant was issued.
Menefield was arrested and handcuffed, an action Valley Police Chief Mark Reynolds claimed the department’s had to do.
Reynolds defended the arrest in a press release on Facebook, stating, “While our officers can use their discretionary judgment on certain matters, the enforcement of an arrest warrant issued by the court and signed by a magistrate, is not one of them. Ms. Menefield was treated respectfully by our officers in the performance of their duties and was released on a bond as prescribed by the violation.”
According to Environmental Services, Menefield has had her trash services suspended three times in the past two years for non-payment.
AL.com reported that officials claim that “records indicate that there have been over 22 incidents of suspensions and revocation of services since 2006.”
Outrage on social media over the situation has resulted in hundreds of comments and even more sharing the Facebook press release.
One commenter on Facebook stated, “This is absolutely the most outrageous violation of public trust and basic decency I’ve seen in a very long time. Everyone involved in this needs assistance with thinking going forward.”
Another commenter argued, “So we’ve reverted back to the days of debtors prison? This is shameful Valley, absolutely shameful. Have you not noticed that times have been tight for a lot of people lately? Senior adults are typically on a fixed income. Why did no one work with her on ways to catch up? Are there no entities in town that will help people struggling to pay utilities anymore? Why wasn’t her account suspended and sent to collections instead of being arrested??? Poorly done, very poorly done.”
Since her arrest, many people have come forward offering to help Menefield catch up on her trash fees.
