Running for Public Office? Pay Those Library Fines First

A candidate in the race to be Kentucky’s next lieutenant governor was arrested Wednesday on charges apparently connected to an overdue library book.

Johnathan Masters, 33, a Democratic challenger for the office, was driving to Bowling Green for a TV interview when a Kentucky State Trooper pulled him over. “He said my tags were expired,” Masters told The Huffington Post. “I thought he was going to let me go because he was real friendly, but then he went back to his patrol car and was gone for about 15 minutes.

“When he came back, he asked me, ‘Did you take out a library book 11 years ago?'” Masters said. It seems Masters had a warrant out for his arrest on of the charge of “theft by failure to make required disposition of property,” a misdemeanor when the property is under $500.

“I started to laugh, but he said, ‘This is serious!’ and he took me to jail for three hours,” Masters said.

Masters was booked on the outstanding warrant and paid $100 bond to get out. He is scheduled to be arraigned March 30.

“I plan to fight the charges,” he said. “I’m going to request a jury trial.”