GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - A showdown over too-tall grass small garden design ideas and city codes led a suburban Dallas man to spend a weekend behind bars.
According to CBS DFW, Rick Yoes says he's had trouble before with the city of Grand Prairie because of his lawn care -- or lack thereof. In the past, Yoes says, he's been able to bring matters into compliance. But, says the 57-year-old, he was shocked to learn the city had issued warrants for six outstanding code violations he didn't even know about.
"I can't really afford to pay a lawyer to fight it," Yoes told the station. "I couldn't really afford to pay them $1700 in fines... I didn't know what else to do so I just turned myself in."
Grand Prairie officials provided CBS DFW a list of code violations tied to Yoes' yard dating back to 1996.
The city says in a statement, "Unfortunately, since 2014, he has not front garden design ideas responded to our repeated requests to jointly solve the problems, which has forced us to ultimately cite him for the violations..."
It goes on to say, "Our Municipal Courts are always amenable to work with citizens on a suitable plan for unpaid citations, but this citizen chose not to take advantage of that opportunity, either."
The statement also made it clear, according to the station, that the city would not arrest someone for not landscape rocks mowing their grass.
What Rick Yoes' yard has been known to look like; there's a car in there somewhere
CBS DFW
A city representative said notices of the violations were mailed to Yoes. However, he said the letters weren't enough to get his attention, and that he ignored them thinking they were related to another legal matter.
"When you get a traffic ticket the officer brings you the ticket," Yoes told CBS DFW. "So there's no question so that you know that this is what happened. That never happened here."
After turning himself in for the litany of lawn care violations, Yoes spent the weekend in jail, before a friend paid the $1700 fine.
Now is it time to trim the bushes?
© 2015 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
According to CBS DFW, Rick Yoes says he's had trouble before with the city of Grand Prairie because of his lawn care -- or lack thereof. In the past, Yoes says, he's been able to bring matters into compliance. But, says the 57-year-old, he was shocked to learn the city had issued warrants for six outstanding code violations he didn't even know about.
"I can't really afford to pay a lawyer to fight it," Yoes told the station. "I couldn't really afford to pay them $1700 in fines... I didn't know what else to do so I just turned myself in."
Grand Prairie officials provided CBS DFW a list of code violations tied to Yoes' yard dating back to 1996.
The city says in a statement, "Unfortunately, since 2014, he has not front garden design ideas responded to our repeated requests to jointly solve the problems, which has forced us to ultimately cite him for the violations..."
It goes on to say, "Our Municipal Courts are always amenable to work with citizens on a suitable plan for unpaid citations, but this citizen chose not to take advantage of that opportunity, either."
The statement also made it clear, according to the station, that the city would not arrest someone for not landscape rocks mowing their grass.
What Rick Yoes' yard has been known to look like; there's a car in there somewhere
CBS DFW
A city representative said notices of the violations were mailed to Yoes. However, he said the letters weren't enough to get his attention, and that he ignored them thinking they were related to another legal matter.
"When you get a traffic ticket the officer brings you the ticket," Yoes told CBS DFW. "So there's no question so that you know that this is what happened. That never happened here."
After turning himself in for the litany of lawn care violations, Yoes spent the weekend in jail, before a friend paid the $1700 fine.
Now is it time to trim the bushes?
© 2015 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.