A 13-year-old Girl Scout in Wyoming was fined $400 for selling cookies in her grandparents’ driveway. The mother of the scout claims that they were following an important sidewalk rule but were fined anyway. The town of Pinedale says that the code enforcement officer warned the duo several times over the code violation before the fines were handed out.
Emma McCarroll and her mom Erica Fairbanks McCarroll, said they believed they had followed an important sidewalk rule in Pinedale, Wyoming. The Girl Scout said she was selling cookies from a stand in her grandparents’ driveway in the small town of Rock Spring where they had previously lived, according to the Cowboy State Daily. Her mother claimed they were approached by a woman, in an animal control vehicle , on March 13. Fairbanks McCarroll alleged the woman did not announce who she was or what her title was but had supposedly advised the mother and daughter to not block the sidewalk.
“All she said really was you shouldn’t block the sidewalk,” Fairbanks McCarroll said. The mother claimed she had pulled the stand further up into the driveway because of this and continued to operate the stall. Fairbanks McCarroll alleged the same woman appeared again two days later and handed them several fines.
“We sold for about 1 hour and 30 minutes when she showed up and handed me 3 parking tickets totaling $400,” Fairbanks McCarroll said. These fines were a $100 citation for parking on the sidewalk, a $150 citation for unlawful obstruction, and a $150 citation for breaking a code that stated at least five feet of a sidewalk had to be clear, according to the MailOnline.
The mother argued that she had followed the woman’s, who was a code enforcement officer, earlier requests. “I responded that I had complied with what she had asked and had moved off the sidewalk,” Fairbanks McCarroll said. “She said the tickets aren’t just for being on the sidewalk and that this is for your daughter’s safety.” “I responded with ‘the Fairbanks are my parents and they don’t care,” she added.
The town of Pinedale said that the code enforcement officer had warned the duo several times over the code violation before the fines were handed out. “Despite these requests, the stand remained on the sidewalk, prompting the issuance of three citations for obstructing the sidewalk.,” the town said in a statement according to the MailOnline.
They also said the officer had been on duty that day and had acted within her role. Fairbanks McCarroll explained her daughter was attempting to raise money for a summer camp. She added that the Girl Scout had sold 1,200 boxes in the same spot last year so wanted to try again this year. Fairbanks McCarroll said she paid $508 to hire a lawyer and two of the tickets were dismissed. She was left with a $150 fine and said she decided to pay it to avoid expensive court fees, she shared in a Facebook post.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to the Town of Pinedale, Wyoming for comment.
