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By By Ken Schram

Summary

The district court in Bellevue wants to reject a payment of 3,700 pennies a woman made for her parking ticket, but it's legal tender.

Story Published: Nov 24, 2003 at 12:16 PM PDT

Story Updated: Jul 29, 2009 at 12:38 PM PDT

Get Counting
SEATTLE - The City of Bellevue needs an attitude adjustment.

And maybe some parking enforcement leniency.

Getting slapped with a $37 ticket she didn't feel was deserved, Tammy Sully expressed her irritation one cent at a time.

She bundled up 3,700 pennies, put her name, address and parking infraction number on a label, and mailed the 22-pound box off to the district court in Bellevue.

'Uh-oh', someone said when it was delivered; could be a bomb.

50 people hit the street as the building was evacuated.

Well, Tammy feels badly about that, but is in no way contrite about her act of defiance. Now a court officer wants her to come and take her pennies back, and pay her fine in more conventional fashion.

The court officer says he doesn't have the staff to sit around counting pennies.

Wah-wah-wah.

My advice to Tammy: DON'T DO IT!

Those pennies come to us courtesy of the United States Mint, an official arm of the federal government.

Those pennies are LEGAL TENDER, and as such Tammy, you've paid what you owed.

As for the district court in Bellevue, roll with it.

Don't collect parking fines if you can't do the counting time.

Want to share your thoughts with Ken Schram? You can e-mail him at kenschram@komo4news.com