DALLAS (AP) — A Texas father who was accused of theft after he confiscated his 12-year-old daughter’s cellphone over an inappropriate text has been acquitted of the misdemeanor charge.
A judge in Dallas found Ronald Jackson not guilty Tuesday, citing insufficient evidence.
Grand Prairie police arrested Jackson a few hours after he commandeered his daughter’s cellphone and refused to return it. The 36-year-old father says a text he found on the phone was rude.
The girl’s mother says she owns the cellphone and reported the confiscation as theft.
Jackson posted $1,500 bail to get out of jail, but later received a mailed citation for theft. He refused to pay.
The father went to court and successfully fought the citation involving his now-15-year-old daughter.
Jackson also kept the cellphone.