OKLAHOMA CITY -- An Oklahoma City woman was still angry Thursday after she received a hefty fine for discarding a sunflower seed.
Police cited Tricia Morgan for littering after she dropped the seed at an intersection about five months ago. The Oklahoma City Municipal Court upheld the fine after she challenged it.
Morgan told KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City that she's still angry about the citation. She said she couldn't believe that a single seed could cost her so much.
"I didn't drop a whole handful at all because I only had three or four in my hand," Morgan said. "I was eating them here and dropping them in the trash behind."
But an Oklahoma City police officer saw the situation differently. He said the seed went on the street.
According to Morgan, the officer wrote her a ticket for $185.
"I went to the city library to see exactly what the definition of litter is, and it's non-specific," she said. "It says anything that falls out of a vehicle is considered litter. I've been to many weddings where I have thrown birdseed at the bride, and I have never been ticketed there for littering."
Morgan said she still eats sunflower seeds and still drives the same stretch of road. However, she said she's still steaming at the fine.
"I thought it was all right to throw out apple cores to feed the rabbits and the squirrels, and I think it's pretty silly that I have been ticketed for this," she said.
Morgan said she couldn't afford the $558 that county officials said it would take to appeal the ticket. However, a municipal court administrator told KOCO-TV that the appeal fee should have been only twice the amount of the fine.
Oklahoma City police confirmed that a city law change several years ago made it a crime to throw a sunflower seed on the street.
"Officers are required to enforce all statutes and ordinances regardless of what they are ... because what to one person is very insignificant (is very significant) to someone else," Sgt. Charles Phillips said.
Phillips said Oklahoma City residents can be charged as much as $200 for a first-time littering offense.
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Woman Fined $185 For Tossing Sunflower Seed On Ground
