# 97 year-old woman in handcuffs...That'll teach her! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 28, 2004, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/97-year-old-woman-in-handcuffs-thatll-teach-her/242578 "2004-04-28T23:33:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/97-year-old-woman-in-handcuffs-thatll-teach-her/242578/1 "2004-04-28T23:33:52Z")
[97-year-old handcuffed, jailed for unpaid traffic ticket](http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/Southwest/04/28/elderly.woman.ap/index.html) I…I…really, \*really \*want to say something about this. Because something \*must \* be said. Mustn’t it? My favorite part is her son, David’s occupation. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/97-year-old-woman-in-handcuffs-thatll-teach-her/242578/2 "2004-04-28T23:42:59Z")
Yeah, they really could have omitted the handcuffs. Somehow, I don’t see a 97 year old lady bolting Cops-style, or overpowering the officer on the way to the station. However, on the scale of things to get upset about, this is still pretty low. ---
**Author:** ![capacitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@capacitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capacitor)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/97-year-old-woman-in-handcuffs-thatll-teach-her/242578/3 "2004-04-29T00:05:34Z")
That cop somehow will find himself on elephants’ backside duty when the circus comes to town… ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/97-year-old-woman-in-handcuffs-thatll-teach-her/242578/4 "2004-04-29T00:11:22Z")
> [@Inigo Montoya](#): > > My favorite part is her son, David’s occupation. ““Our real beef with this is that no real judgment was displayed or actually carried out in this incident,” said Kelton’s son Dr. Phil Kelton Jr., a plastic reconstructive surgeon with Baylor University Medical Center.” I don’t get why that’s funny/favorite? Because he’s a reconstructive plastic surgeon? ---
**Author:** ![Yesterdog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/d07c76/32.png) [@Yesterdog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yesterdog)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/97-year-old-woman-in-handcuffs-thatll-teach-her/242578/5 "2004-04-29T00:12:18Z")
The age old argument of old people being allowed to drive… …this is what happens. I told you so! ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/97-year-old-woman-in-handcuffs-thatll-teach-her/242578/6 "2004-04-29T00:19:16Z")
> [@Zette](#): > > ““Our real beef with this is that no real judgment was displayed or actually carried out in this incident,” said Kelton’s son Dr. Phil Kelton Jr., a plastic reconstructive surgeon with Baylor University Medical Center.” > > I don’t get why that’s funny/favorite? Because he’s a reconstructive plastic surgeon? “Her other son, David, is a state district judge. He said it would be inappropriate for him to discuss the arrest.” I’m pretty sure that’s the son **Zette** meant. I agree that it sounds odd to handcuff an old lady, _but_ imagine if they hadn’t hadcuffed her and halfway to the police station she had decided that she didn’t want to go to jail, and commenced to beat the police officer over the head with her handbag, causing him to veer off the road into a group of school children waiting for a bus… then we’d all be here screaming about the police being so stupid as to NOT handcuff a criminal! I’m just saying, is all… ---
**Author:** ![Darkhold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@Darkhold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darkhold)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/97-year-old-woman-in-handcuffs-thatll-teach-her/242578/7 "2004-04-29T00:20:04Z")
So she was arrested for doing something illegal and the cops followed common procedure? What’s the problem here? I know it’s more then a little silly but hardly outrageous. It’s not like she offered them milk and cookies and they maced her. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/97-year-old-woman-in-handcuffs-thatll-teach-her/242578/8 "2004-04-29T00:20:08Z")
> [@Zette](#): > > ““Our real beef with this is that no real judgment was displayed or actually carried out in this incident,” said Kelton’s son Dr. Phil Kelton Jr., a plastic reconstructive surgeon with Baylor University Medical Center.” > > I don’t get why that’s funny/favorite? Because he’s a reconstructive plastic surgeon? No, her other son, David, is a judge. I have no idea what is amusing about that. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Cerri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3bc359/32.png) [@Cerri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerri)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/97-year-old-woman-in-handcuffs-thatll-teach-her/242578/9 "2004-04-29T00:20:54Z")
> [@Zette](#): > > ““Our real beef with this is that no real judgment was displayed or actually carried out in this incident,” said Kelton’s son Dr. Phil Kelton Jr., a plastic reconstructive surgeon with Baylor University Medical Center.” > > I don’t get why that’s funny/favorite? Because he’s a reconstructive plastic surgeon? Her other son is a state district judge. ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/97-year-old-woman-in-handcuffs-thatll-teach-her/242578/10 "2004-04-29T00:22:34Z")
> [@Cerri](#): > > Her other son is a state district judge. Ahhh…I didn’t see that, and I read it, I swear! I just got startled out of a nap, so I’m blaming that on my fog. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/97-year-old-woman-in-handcuffs-thatll-teach-her/242578/11 "2004-04-29T00:25:28Z")
> [@Zette](#): > > Ahhh…I didn’t see that, and I read it, I swear! I just got startled out of a nap, so I’m blaming that on my fog. 🙂 Doh! And I just realized it wasn’t **Zette** who mentioned the occupation of the other son! It was **Inigo**! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Tenar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@Tenar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenar)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/97-year-old-woman-in-handcuffs-thatll-teach-her/242578/12 "2004-04-29T00:34:36Z")
It certainly was a distasteful way of going about things, but I think the cops were going to be screwed whatever they did on this one. I certainly hope they took great care in cuffing the woman and in walking with her. It’s not easy to keep your balance when you are cuffed, and I can’t imagine the lady’s bone density is not all that one might wish for. At least she didn’t get the chair. ---
**Author:** ![Jaade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dfb087/32.png) [@Jaade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaade)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/97-year-old-woman-in-handcuffs-thatll-teach-her/242578/13 "2004-04-29T01:06:44Z")
In Texas, warrants are turned over to collection agencies after the courts have no luck bringing the accused to trial. Collection agencies send letters and call these people repeatedly, warning them that they can and will be arrested if they are caught. Many people laugh about it. They dare the collectors to send a cop to their house. I’m not saying this is the case here, but it could have been. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/97-year-old-woman-in-handcuffs-thatll-teach-her/242578/14 "2004-04-29T01:24:21Z")
The cops didn’t have a choice. Just about everywhere, you handcuff **anybody** placed under arrest. Doesn’t matter who they are, or how old they are. Did anybody actually expect Michael Jackson to start resisting arrest? But they cuffed him anyway. Policy is policy. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/97-year-old-woman-in-handcuffs-thatll-teach-her/242578/15 "2004-04-29T01:39:52Z")
> [@Darkhold](#): > > It’s not like she offered them milk and cookies and they maced her. Officer Friendly: “BITCH! These are sugar cookies! When I say I want OATMEAL cookies, you gimme OATMEAL COOKIES!” _[Friendly whips out pepper spray, gives grandma a a stiff burst]_ Grandma: “AAAAAAGH!” ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/97-year-old-woman-in-handcuffs-thatll-teach-her/242578/16 "2004-04-29T02:47:51Z")
That bit about her son the judge–it just struck me as the cherry on top of a lose-lose deal for the cops. What someone said about elephant duty. ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/97-year-old-woman-in-handcuffs-thatll-teach-her/242578/17 "2004-04-29T03:03:00Z")
The incident took place in Highland Park, Texas. This means the Dallas Police were handling the incident in question. Grandma’s lucky they didn’t just draw their sidearms and open fire, pumping round after round through the windshield and driver’s side window, stopping to reload and fire a few more, just for effect, before undertaking the arrest. ---
**Author:** ![percypercy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@percypercy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/percypercy)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/97-year-old-woman-in-handcuffs-thatll-teach-her/242578/18 "2004-04-29T03:24:30Z")
They had a bit on this woman on the 10 o’clock news tonight. Lemme just say I want a grandmother like Dotty Kelton. -Lil ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/97-year-old-woman-in-handcuffs-thatll-teach-her/242578/19 "2004-04-29T03:31:54Z")
[It could have been worse…](http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-5/1082773741315640.xml) > [@](#): > > The city of Portland has agreed to pay $145,000 to an elderly blind woman after police pepper-sprayed and shocked her with a stun gun. > > The altercation began as an attempt to remove shrubs and appliances from 71-year-old Eunice Crowder’s yard, and ended with police citing her for harassment and disobeying an order. > > [snip] > > Police said they pepper-sprayed Crowder after she refused to stop kicking them. They admit that Crowder’s prosthetic eye fell out at some point, and that Zajac stunned Crowder with a Taser, an electric stun gun, twice in the lower back and once in the upper back after ordering her to stop fighting and resisting. ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/97-year-old-woman-in-handcuffs-thatll-teach-her/242578/20 "2004-04-29T04:20:23Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > The cops didn’t have a choice. Just about everywhere, you handcuff **anybody** placed under arrest. Doesn’t matter who they are, or how old they are. Did anybody actually expect Michael Jackson to start resisting arrest? But they cuffed him anyway. Policy is policy. Would be nice if the world were that black and white, but I’m afraid it’s simply not. Unfortunately I can dispute this due to first-hand knowledge, as I have been arrested and not handcuffed, neither when I was brought in to the station in the jurisdiction I was picked up, nor when I was transported to the jurisdiction where I was wanted. In fact, on the 1st leg of the journey I was allowed to sit in the front seat of the squad car. And on the 2nd leg, one of the officers started to cuff me and the other one, who was reading the warrant, said, “Hmmm, 42 in a 25\*, I don’t really think we need those.” I’m not saying they shouldn’t have arrested her, but they didn’t **have** to handcuff her. \*And for the record, this ticket was supposedly reduced to a non-moving violation and the fine paid by my attorney. Turns out they’d clipped the check to my file and never bothered to mail it. He offered not to contest a malpractice suit, but I opted not to file. Mistakes happen. Besides, now I have kindof a fun story to tell. 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/97-year-old-woman-in-handcuffs-thatll-teach-her/242578.md?page=2)