The mayor of Easton, Pennsylvania signed an agreement forgiving the inflated debts of woman incarcerated for three days Northampton County Prison over non-payment of parking tickets.Pennsylvania District Court Judge Gay Elwell sentenced Denise A. Hollis-Ruggiero, 36, to prison in September because she racked up 127 parking tickets worth $10-20 each, primarily by parking in front of her own home without a permit. The city then added "penalties" to inflate the total debt owed up to $13,555. Many of these tickets were likely illegal because the city did not calibrate its parking meters according to state law.

In December, the city council passed a resolution canceling Hollis-Ruggiero's remaining fines. She will have ended up paying the city about $1900 in tickets and fees.

"I'm OK with it," he said." She was penalized. She did her time in jail, and she paid some restitution." [Mayor Phil] Mitman would not say if throwing out Hollis-Ruggiero's fines was a slippery slope for others to request similar treatment. "I'm not going to make that judgment," he said. "If people have issues of parking, they can go to the police department."