70-Year-Old Woman Jailed For 'Neglected' Lawn

A 70-year-old Utah woman has been left bruised and bloody after an unexpected clash with police who came to arrest her because her lawn was dry and brown.

The trouble started when pensioner Betty Perry refused to give her name to an officer trying to caution her for not watering her lawn. She says the officer hit her with handcuffs, cutting her nose, although police insist she slipped and fell.

She denies that she was resisting arrest, maintaining that she turned to go inside to call her son to fix the confusing dispute.

"I tried to sit down and get away from him. I don't know what he's doing. I said: 'What are you doing?' And he hit me with those handcuffs in my face," she said.

"He's just trying to cover his tracks, as far as I'm concerned."

Apparently, the officer thought Perry's "sadly neglected and dying landscape" breached the city guideline and was attempting to issue a formal caution when she was injured.

She was treated in a local hospital for the cut to her nose and for other bruises before being taken to jail. But she was let go when police finally realised there were "other ways" of finding out her identity without taking her to jail.

"I can't believe this happened. Do you ever just wish you could start your day over and it would all be different?", she says.

The arresting officer has been placed on administrative leave.

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