Houston woman warns motorists of speed trap with sign, gets thrown in jail

AutoBlog: Houston woman warns motorists of speed trap with sign, gets thrown in jail

Click to watch videoThis story is irritating on so many levels. It involves a dreaded police speed trap, a good samaritan warning motorists of the potential fine and a 12-hour stint in a Texas jail cell.

Houston-area resident Natalie Plummer, who was riding her bike on the way home from the grocery store, noticed that cops were pulling over speeders with what looked like a speed trap, so she decided to turn her bag into a make-shift warning sign. That sort of action seems to be covered by the Constitution, but Plummer was still arrested for allegedly standing in the street when there was a sidewalk present. For the record, Plummer tells KRTK that she never left the sidewalk, and she claims that the arresting officer threatened her with an arrest for obstructing justice, which is a felony offense.

Scroll down to watch the ABC News report. We can see the cops being irritated with Ms. Plummer's sign-holding activity, but a 12-hour jail term seems more than a little excessive. Heck, even a fine of $1 seems a bit heavy handed, but then many feel the same way about speed traps.