92-year-old woman's arrest warrant for failing to remove junk dismissed after Action 13 stepped in

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The City of Houston has dropped an arrest warrant for a 92-year-old woman who is dealing with health problems after Action 13 reached out on her family's behalf. The warrant was issued after she failed to remove a disabled vehicle in her yard.

Jay Jones said his mother, Gloria, first received a citation in 2020 from the City of Houston for the offense of "using property for open storage of an inoperable motor vehicle." The case was quickly dismissed.

He explained that his parents had lived in the corner home on Fidelity and Tuffly since the 1950s when the Clinton Park neighborhood was just a dirt road. His father died nearly 30 years ago, and it wasn't until recently that his mother was no longer living in his childhood home.

"In the last year, she fell and broke her hip. She had to have surgery and get into a nursing home. Now she's in home health care," Jones, who currently lives in Atlanta, said.

To Jones' surprise, his mother was hit again with a citation nearly three years later for the same issue. He said that due to her condition and fixed income, she hasn't been able to resolve the matter since she can't physically show up in court, hire an attorney, or pay the fines.

She then had a warrant issued for her arrest, and about $1,500 racked up in fines. Jones said this time, the city wasn't willing to dismiss the case when he reached out.

"There was no help offered to her nor any empathy from that prosecutor's office. All they said was they want their money, and they want an attorney to represent her. Where is she getting this money, and where is she getting this attorney from? It's really sad," Jones told ABC13.

Action 13 reached out to the City of Houston's municipal courts department Wednesday on behalf of Jones' family. Later in the evening, the City responded and said that the case against the 92-year-old homeowner has been dismissed.

Jones said the car belongs to his nephew and they are working to get it removed in the next week. He expressed that his family is relieved that the City will work with them through this difficult circumstance.

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