(Credit: KDKA)
Reporting Brenda Waters
FREEPORT (KDKA) — The case of the four overdue library books and the little girl who borrowed them is closed, thanks in part to local police who were sent to investigate the case.
Four-year-old Katelyn Jageman’s books were due back to the Freeport Area Library on Oct. 19, 2011. Until Thursday, they were still in her possession. Library officials said after several attempts to retrieve the books, the case was turned over to police, who made a courtesy call to the child’s home.
“It’s a rare incident, but it does occur,” said Donna Michael, President of the Freeport Area Library Board.
After phone calls and letters to the family, Michael admitted she alerted authorities and put the problem in their hands.
“I did turn the file over to the police department,” she said.
The library receives no federal funding and relies on memberships, donations, and a secondhand shop to survive.
“We’re here to serve the community and we try to do it as best we can, and all we really want is to have our library materials returned,” said Michael.
At a rate of ten cents a day for each of the four books over a 204-day period, Katelyn owed the library $81.60.
Thursday afternoon, the child’s mother, Erica Jageman, returned the books, paid the fine and apologized to the library.
The book is now closed on the case.
The child had borrowed “Sleeping Beauty,” “Corduroy’s Halloween,” “Dora The Explorer: The Halloween Cat” and “I See The Moon.”
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