Woman charged with swearing at toilet
A Pennslvania woman is facing a jail sentence after she was arrested for shouting profanities at an overflowing toilet.
Dawn Herb was inside her own home in West Scranton when her neighbour, a police officer, heard her swearing through an open window.
He asked her to "keep it down" and, when that did not work, called police colleagues who came out and charged her with disorderly conduct.
Ms Herb is now facing up to 90 days in jail and a fine of up to the equivalent of about £150, reports The Times-Tribune.
She said: "It doesn't make any sense. 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?"
Although she doesn't recall exactly what she said, she admitted she was frustrated with her overflowing toilet and let a few choice words fly.
"The toilet was overflowing and leaking down into the kitchen and I was yelling for my daughter to get the mop," she said.
Mary Catherine Roper, of 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," she said.
"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."
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2556809.html