Salon Owner Sentenced to 7 Days in Jail
May 5, 2020
FROM CBSDFW.com in Dallas:
Salon À la Mode owner Shelley Luther was sentenced to seven days in jail for criminal and civil contempt and a $7,000 fine today for defying Governor Greg Abbott’s stay-at-home rules.
Dallas Judge Eric Moyé found Luther continued to operate her hair salon in violation of the governor’s order and in violation of a restraining order from the court.
She and her business are also each being fined $500 for every day… seven in all so far… that it was open in violation of the governor’s order. Judge Moye said the salon would continue to rack up a $500 fine for every day it remains open between now and Friday – when Abbott has said all salons can open.
Last week, Luther received a cease-and-desist letter from Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins ordering her to close the salon — and she publicly ripped it up. In defying the order, Luther has gained many supporters, among them the Open Texas movement. Several of her supporters were at court, and weren’t visibly displeased by her arrest.
Moye told Luther he would consider not giving her jail time, if she admitted that she was wrong, that she was selfish, and that she should apologize to the elected officials whose orders she violated.
You can view the video above in which Luther defends herself here.
Judge Eric Moyé is yet another Covid Bully, with no legal justification for barring people who pose no serious public health risk from engaging in commercial transactions. The only thing that keeps this bullying going is the complicity of the public.
Other officials, such as the Oregon sheriff John Gautney, recognize that the emperor has no clothes and are refusing to enforce the economic shutdown. Gautney pointed out the hypocrisy of the orders in a statement:
“If a business decides to open, that is a decision the business owner makes. If customers choose to shop with that business that is that person’s choice,” he said. “We are a free society and able to make decisions based on common sense. I see large businesses open every day with lots of customers and they are using safety precautions if they choose. The point is they have the right to choose. If the large stores can accommodate the large number of customers and operate effectively, why are we not letting the small business operate under the same guidelines?”
