Friday, June 21, 2013

Connecticut Man Arrested For Writing Obscenity On Traffic Ticket Payment Form | Techdirt

Connecticut Man Arrested For Writing Obscenity On Traffic Ticket Payment Form | Techdirt:

"That honor goes to Willian Barboza, who was issued a speeding ticket last year in the Catskills town of Liberty, and chose to send a bit of a message while mailing in his guilty-plea fine when he wrote 'F@#$ your sh#*$y town b&$#@es.'
The court decided that Barboza's admittedly witless prose was worth rejecting his payment altogether and charging him for aggravated harrassment, a strange state law that says it's a violation when someone: ‘Either (a) communicates with a person, anonymously or otherwise, by telephone, by telegraph, or by mail, or by transmitting or delivering any other form of written communication, in a manner likely to cause annoyance or alarm … "

Another example of an obscure law sitting on the books to be used for nefarious reason as needed.