Woman cuffed over brown lawn?

The CNN.com headline states: "Woman cuffed over brown lawn"
The story is below.

To me, this is a misleading head. The woman was handcuffed because she refused to give her name to police and resisting arrest - not because her lawn was brown.
There are lot of problems with this story, my biggest is the exaggerated headline used to sensationalize the story.
Is the headline used to attract readers or evoke immediate sympathy for the old lady?

Thoughts?
Anyone else have a probelm with it?
Agree or disagree?



OREM, Utah (AP) -- A 70-year-old woman arrested in a dispute over her brown lawn pleaded not guilty Tuesday, then stood by as a Los Angeles lawyer waved handcuffs for the cameras outside court.
Betty Perry is charged with resisting arrest and failing to maintain her landscaping, both misdemeanors.
She was arrested July 6 after failing to give her name to a police officer who visited her home.
During a struggle, Perry fell and injured her nose. She spent more than an hour in a holding cell before police released her.
"I ask the citizens of Orem: How many of you would like to have your great-grandmother taken from her home with bruises and blood and placed in handcuffs for failing to water her lawn?" attorney Gloria Allred said.
"Let's bring sanity back to law enforcement," she said.
The mayor and City Council apologized, and the police department said the situation could have been handled differently. But the city attorney still is pressing charges, and Perry is due back in court next month.
A state investigation found that Officer James Flygare acted properly in arresting Perry after trying to get her to cooperate.
Perry's water had been turned off for about nine months, at her request, although she was living at the house at the time of the arrest. Orem has a shutoff policy for people who are away for extended

 

Re: Women cuffed over brown lawn?

I need to see the picture of the lawn in question first.

 

Re: Women cuffed over brown lawn?

The cops went to issue a citation for having a dead lawn -- disagree with the city ordinance if you want, but in that city you are required to keep your lawn nice and purty -- and she was uncooperative when they attempted to give her the citation.

The police were trying make sure they were giving the ticket to the appropriate homeowner, since some utilities to the home had been shut off and that often means the house may be vacant or abandoned, and she refused to give them her name, and struggled with them when they tried to give her the ticket. She ended up with a band-aid on her nose, I saw the pictures and video interviews after this all happened two months ago.

I have plenty of sympathy for this old lady who is poor, alone and probably quite scared. The police overreacted, I'm sure. But I'm also pretty sure they didn't throw her to the ground just for fun -- though JR will undoubtedly think they did.

It's just another really unnecessary and unfortunate situation. But Gloria Allred is on the case!

 

Re: Women cuffed over brown lawn?


When fresh water becomes scares and pesticides and fertilizers are ruining the environment, this lady will be looked on as a martyr.

FWIW, I don't water my lawn. God waters my lawn. If it get brown, it gets brown.

 

Re: Women cuffed over brown lawn?

Water is only scary to the French, who refuse to bathe in it.

 

Re: Women cuffed over brown lawn?

Whatever happened to "what happens in Orem stays in Orem"?

 

Re: Women cuffed over brown lawn?

You're thinking of Provo.

 

Re: Women cuffed over brown lawn?

The subject of this topic is misleading. I was under the impression more than one woman was cuffed over the same brown lawn.

 

Re: Women cuffed over brown lawn?

I think the hed is fine. Except I thought cuffed mean smacked in the kisser.

She was ultimately handcuffed because of some silly ordinance over a lawn. If no brown lawn, no handcuffs.

 

Re: Women cuffed over brown lawn?

Orem, Utah, has produced some pretty good volleyball players.
May Logan Tom pound one right at the net and straight down off Officer Dibble's skull.

 

Re: Women cuffed over brown lawn?

Granny sez ...

 

Re: Women cuffed over brown lawn?

Except, of course, Logan Tom was from Salt Lake City (born in Calif., actually) and not Orem.

Still, you point stands about her six packing the good officer.