Overdue library tome books Iowa woman jail time

[February 21, 2009]  INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (AP) -- A theft charge over a missing library book has been dismissed against an Iowa woman who was jailed when she failed to return the overdue tome.

Her attorney says the fifth-degree charge against Shelly Koontz of Independence was dropped Thursday.

James Peters says Koontz agreed to pay $13.95 - the cost of "The Freedom Writers Diary" - and about $50 in court costs, and to return the book.

Koontz was charged Jan. 22 and jailed for not returning the book that she borrowed last April in nearby Jesup. She was released after posting $250 bond.

Buchanan County Attorney Allan Vander Hart says a library complaint led to the arrest.

A woman who answered the telephone at the library hung up when asked for comment. A number listed for Koontz was disconnected.

[Associated Press]

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