GRADY COUNTY, Oklahoma -
Some Grady County residents
have reported receiving text message notifying them they failed to appear in
court for jury duty.
The text directs
them to a number, "the following is an urgent message from the national justice
center" a recording indicates the person failed to appear for jury duty last
Monday morning at 9 a.m.
Abby Robnett did
not think she missed the call for jury duty until she received the text.
"I just about had
a heart attack," said Robnett.
Robnett says she
followed the instructions and immediately called the number. She was surprised
to hear the following message, "To make arrangements to pay the $500 fine for
failure to appear for jury duty, press 2."
The other option
given is serve a 30-day prison sentence for failure to appear for jury duty.
Robnett did not like the options given, so she listened to the entire message.
The recording later indicated the entire thing was a prank.
"You have one
final option; pass this phone number on to your top 10 most gullible
friends."
Robnett was
relieved.
"I was like ‘Oh
that is so not funny.'"
Unlike Robnett,
several frantically hung up in the middle of the recording and called the court
clerk's office.
"It's a hoax and
we don't think it's very funny and I'm sure the people who get the calls don't
think it's very funny," said Grady County Court Clerk Lois Foster.
Foster says a jury
summons will never come by phone. Instead, you will get a letter in the mail. Foster
also says that no one texts or calls to warn you if you have a warrant out
for your arrest.
Although many are
not laughing, the hoax is not serious enough for the jokester to be in any
legal trouble. Grady County Sheriff Jim Weir sent out the warning to residents.
"Although it
causes a big waste of time and money for us, it's a joke. And I just don't
think there's anything that covers that in state statute," said Weir.
Robnett says it's
something she can laugh about now.
"It was a pretty
funny joke after it was all said and done, but at first it wasn't funny."
The text and phone
recording is linked to www.humorhotline.com,
a website offering a variety of phone pranks.
