A man in Alabama might go to jail because he refused to apologize for something he said to a police officer. It all happened in December 2023 when Reginald Burks was driving his kids to school in Ozark, Alabama, and got pulled over for speeding. The officer said he used cruise control to know how fast Burks was going, but Burks didn’t believe him.
Burks got a ticket, and when he tried to drive away, the officer stood in front of his car. Burks told him to move so he could take his kids to school. He used some rude words, but he also apologized to his daughter for cursing.
Burks didn’t get charged with anything besides the speeding ticket. He was ready to pay the fine and move on, but then the judge told him he had to write an apology letter to the officer or go to jail for 10 to 30 days. Some people think this is too harsh, especially since Burks wasn’t charged with anything else.
Jenny Carroll, a law professor, thinks the judge is being unfair. She says Burks should have been charged with something like disorderly conduct if he did something wrong. Burks has a court date in June, and he’s prepared to go to jail if he has to. He’s even arranged for his kids to stay with their mom while he’s gone. Burks says he’d apologize if he did something wrong, but he doesn’t think he did anything besides speak his mind.
