A man from Texas has been arrested by the police for confiscating his daughter's iPhone. The 36-year-old father was later acquitted of the misdemeanor charge by the Dallas County judge, citing "insufficient evidence."
In September 2013, Ronald Jackson confiscated her then 12-year-old daughter's iPhone 4S after finding a rude and inappropriate text message. However, the child's mother and now ex-wife, Michelle Steppe, expressed disapproval to this punishment by calling the police on him.
Shortly after, the police came to ask for the smartphone back. However, Jackson stood his ground. He held onto the iPhone 4S unit for three months until he received a citation in the mail for theft of property, reported Yahoo! Parenting. He was offered a plea deal in January 2014 in the condition that he return the smartphone back to his daughter. He refused, hired a lawyer and requested a jury trial.
The case was moved to the Dallas County and in April 2015, Jackson was arrested and jailed. He was released after posting a bail worth US$1,500.
"It made no sense to me for them to show up and make a big deal out of something that was a small thing," Jackson said. "I couldn't believe they would go to this extent for a cellphone. It didn't seem right."
Jackson went into trial but was acquitted two days after because Dallas County Criminal Court Judge, Lisa Green, ordered that the jury declare the man not guilty. She said there was no sufficient evidence to convict the man of theft.
Steppe, who is now married to the Grand Prairie, Texas police officer, stated that she is dissatisfied of the verdict because she is the rightful owner of the smartphone. She told WFAA that she is upset because this only proved that even if a person has paid for an item with their own money, it can still be taken by someone else.
Jackson doesn't think that he can restore his relationship to his family, nor does he want to. He said: "I have to separate myself to them."
