A Texas man was arrested during the course of attempting to pay off his property tax. He is facing multiple state crime charges, including resisting arrest for allegedly pulling away from the arresting officer. However, the circumstances surrounding his arrest may leave some feeling confused about the charges.
The man reported to his local county courthouse in order to pay the $600 that he still owed for property taxes. According to officials, he only brought dollar bills to pay off his debt. Authorities further claimed that each dollar was folded and that workers somehow had to spend six minutes to simply unfold a single bill.
Authorities decided that his attempt to pay his taxes in $1 bills was disruptive and asked that he leave without paying. The man purportedly refused to leave the courthouse, at which point an officer determined that it was appropriate to arrest him for criminal trespass. He also supposedly tried to pull himself away from the officer twice, which the officer interpreted as resisting arrest.
People in Texas often expect that they might have to face state crime charges for not paying their taxes, but few may anticipate being arrested for attempting to settle their debt with the government. Although most people typically pay larger debts with larger bills, checks or charge cards, single dollar bills are still legal tinder that may be used to settle any and all debts. As his court date approaches, he and his defense counsel may benefit from first establishing a solid legal foundation in order to best handle the various charges that he faces.
Source: cnycentral.com, “Texas man arrested after trying to pay taxes in $1 bills”, Feb. 4, 2015
