Judge Threatens Jail Time For Mooresville City Officials: Report

MOORESVILLE, NC — An Iredell County District Court judge is threatening to jail Mooresville City officials for contempt of court after the city has failed to return $17,000 to a man who was found with a small amount of marijuana in his possession, according to reports.

Judge Christine Underwood found Mooresville Police and the city in contempt of court earlier this week and said she will start handing out jail sentences if the money is not repaid to Jermaine Sanders by next week, the Charlotte Observer reported.

A county court ordered that the city repay the money to Sanders in November, the report said. But now, more than two months later and with the judge's order still being ignored, Underwood is ready to take action. Underwood told The Observer that she will extend the possibility of jail time to city council members and others who may have the ability to issue a check to Sanders if the debt continues to be unpaid.

“It’s incredibly hard to put a town in jail,” Underwood told the Observer this week. “We don’t like putting people in jail for contempt of court. We like them to do what they were supposed to do in the first place.”

The judge called the city’s unwillingness to comply with the court order “unconscionable.”

City officials, including the Mooresville city attorney, declined comment on the issue or did not respond to requests for comment, according to The Observer.

Sanders' attorney, Ashley Cannon, told the newspaper that Underwood felt disrespected by the fact city officials have yet to follow the orders of the county court.

She kept saying, ‘They are stealing Mr. Sanders’ money. The Mooresville police and the town of Mooresville are stealing his money.’" Cannon told The Observer. "She was livid."