A Dallas salon owner on Tuesday was sentenced to seven days behind bars for disobeying coronavirus shutdown orders, doing business well ahead of even the aggressive reopening plans in Texas.
Dallas County Judge Eric Moye held Shelley Luther, owner of Salon a la Mode and her corporate entity “Hot Mess Enterprises,” for both criminal and civil contempt.
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Moye cited “the refusal of the defendants to cease operation of the salon, despite the clear and unambiguous language of the order.”
“The defiance of the court’s order was open, flagrant and intentional. The defendants, although having been given an opportunity to do so, have expressed no contrition, remorse or regret for their contemptuous action. “
Hair and nail salons are eligible to reopen on May 8 in Texas, where there have been at least 33,369 positive cases of coronavirus and 906 deaths, according to state data posted late Tuesday afternoon. In Dallas County, there have been at least 4,370 cases and 114 deaths.
Luther was ordered “remanded to the custody of” Dallas County Sheriff’s deputies and “shall be confined in penal facility of the choosing of the sheriff, where she shall remain for period of seven days,” Moye ruled.
A defiant Luther, who faces at least $3,500 in fines, argued with the judge that she was trying to prevent her children and employees from “going hungry,” according to NBC Dallas.
“I have to disagree when you say I’m selfish because feeding my kids is not selfish,” Luther said. “I have hair stylists going hungry because they’d rather feed their kids. If you think law is more important than kids being fed, go ahead with your decision. But I’m not going to shut the salon.”
There was no answer at Luther’s salon on Tuesday afternoon.
