In October 2007, a Pennsylvania woman was arrested for shouting profanities at an overflowing toilet. Dawn Herb was inside her own home in West Scranton when her neighbor, a police officer, heard her swearing through an open window. After asknig her to "keep it down," he called some on duty colleagues who charged Ms. Herb with disorderly conduct. "It doesn't make any sense," she complained. "I was in my house. It's not like I was outside or drunk. A cop can charge you with disorderly conduct for disrespecting them?... The toilet was overflowing and leaking down into the kitchen and I was yelling for my daughter to get the mop." The American Civil Liberties Union said Ms Herb would have a strong case in court. "You can't prosecute somebody for swearing at a cop or a toilet," said Mary Catherine Roper. "We bring one of these cases a year and sue some police departments because they do not remember that they are not the language police."

Bookmark/Search

Add/Forward