Criminal Justice
Utah Woman Sentenced to 30 Days in Jail for Texting in Court
Posted Apr 29, 2009, 05:42 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
A Utah woman who sent two text messages to her husband from a court hearing about his debt collection case has been sentenced to 30 days in jail.
Susan Henwood, a mother of four, started serving the sentence in the Tooele County Jail on Monday, according to KSL.com. Henwood’s husband, Joshua Henwood, told KSL that his wife went to court to ask for a continuance in his case because he was sick and couldn’t attend. He also asked her to keep him updated.
Susan Henwood sent two messages from the courtroom, according to the story. The first read, "It doesn't look good for you." The second said, "They're coming for the Polaris Ranger."
Judge Stephen Henroid sentenced Susan Henwood after holding her in contempt of court. A court spokeswoman told KSL the problem was the content of the messages rather than the act of texting.
Joshua Henwood told KSL his wife doesn’t deserve to be in jail. "I think this was an unfit punishment for the crime," he said.
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