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Associated Press - October 26, 2009 9:54 AM ET
VERONA, Miss. (AP) - The hours are long and the pay is low, but a new program in Verona allows people with outstanding warrants to work off their fines.
Police Chief Leo Mask and Justice Court Judge Ricky Thompson came up with the idea as a way to clear some of the unpaid fines piling up in the northeast Mississippi town.
People work six days a week from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m., earning $50 a day toward their fine by performing jobs that the city's public works department would normally do. They have painted the railroad crossing, pressure washed City Hall and done landscaping jobs around town.
James Garner is one participant. He told the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal the work is better than going to jail for an old warrant.
Information from: Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, http://nems360.com/
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