Gerry Suttle had never received so much as a parking ticket before being informed by police in Riesel, Texas that a warrant had been issued for her arrest. The 75-year-old woman had failed to appear in court to answer a citation issued against her because her grass had grown too high. Riesel is a town of about 1,000 people, and the tiny clique calling itself the city government displays the efficiency that characterizes every such entity of any size: Suttle never received the letter demanding that she appear before the judge.

Under what residents of Texas are told to call the "law," an arrest warrant results in immediate suspension of the subject's license to drive. As a result, this terrified 75-year-old woman was effectively under house arrest. The lawn, which was on a piece of property Suttle owned across from her home, was far too big for her to mow by herself, particularly under the summer sun in central Texas.

Four young brothers who live in the same central Texas town saw the news report and volunteered to mow the elderly woman's very large lawn, a hot and time-intensive job that would be much to arduous for the 75-year-old to do by herself. Several other neighbors quickly joined in and made short work of what could have been a day-long project.