A hairdresser has been jailed for seven days after refusing to apologise for keeping her salon open during the coronavirus lockdown.
Shelly Luther, who is the owner of Salon la Mode in Dallas, Texas, said that she wouldn't apologise for keeping her business open in defiance of the state's lockdown rules, and refused an offer from the judge at her trial.
She was told that if she showed contrition for working during the coronavirus quarantine she'd not have to serve any jail time, but - when asked to admit her selfishness - she responded: "I have to disagree with you sir, when you say that I'm selfish."
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Speaking whilst holding a phone to her face so that she could be heard by the judge when wearing a face-mask, Luther continued: "Feeding my kids is not selfish. I have hairstylists that are going hungry because they would rather feed their kids.
"So sir, if you think the law is more important than kids getting fed, then please go ahead with your decision, but I am not going to shut the salon."
So, the judge went through with his decision. He sentenced her to seven days in prison, which was meant to represent the amount of time that she continued to operate her salon despite the lockdown orders put in place to stop the spread of the virus.
Luther was reportedly told to shut her salon down on March 22, but then opened back up on to trade on April 24 despite the stay-at-home orders.
According to the Dallas Morning News she even went as far as to tear up a cease and desist letter issued by Judge Clay Jenkins at a demonstration against the measures the following day.
Then, a restraining order was signed by Judge Eric Moye on April 28, but she kept right on opening up the shop.
Her lawyers had argued that she had been operating the salon within safety protocols and had brought in only a handful of employees, whereas she'd ordinarily have 19 stylists.
She argued that customers were also offered hand sanitiser and had to wait outside until their stylist was ready, and that stations were all kept six feet apart.
Sentencing, Moye said that he thought Luther had been sincere in her intentions, but added that the 'rule of law cannot and does not operate when individuals take it upon themselves to decide'.
She will reportedly continue to open her salon until Friday, when other businesses will once again be allowed to open, but will incur a fine of $500 (£405) per day until then.
Featured Image Credit: Dallas County Sheriff