Woman messy yard, financial difficulties, clean lot violation, woman vegetable garden jail- Woman sent to jail for messy yard. A woman in Mount Pleasant, S.C., spent nearly a week in jail for refusing to clean her front yard. According to police, the woman was issued a citation because of the condition of her property. After several reported attempts to help her, she was ordered to either pay $480 or spend 10 days in jail.

A Mount Pleasant woman is serving 10 days in jail after failing to pay a $480 fine for having a messy yard.

The Post and Courier of Charleston reports 53-year-old Linda Ruggles has sold blood and even volunteered for medical experiments to get money to keep her home from foreclosure.

Ruggles is a photographer whose business tanked during the recession. She was fined in 2010 after neighbors complained.

The town says it tried to work with her and the police chief offered to round up some young people to help her clean up.

A municipal judge ordered Ruggles to pay the fine or go to jail for 10 days. Officials say she didn’t pay the fine within 90 days and then ignored court appearances and warnings from the town.