A hair salon owner in Dallas, Texas, was arrested and jailed for a week after opening her doors despite coronavirus restrictions.

Shelley Luther, owner of Salon a la Mode, refused to obey a cease-and-desist letter asking her to shut operations. She attended a court hearing on Tuesday.

The judge offered to let her walk free if she apologized for "being selfish." She would also be required to shut her business and pay a fine.

Luther refused to apologize, saying she opened her business to feed her children. "That is not selfish," she added. She also revealed she recently received a loan from the federal government.

When the judge asked her whether or not she was still operating, she answered: "Yes, partially."

She would have only needed to close her salon's doors until the state allowed non-essential businesses to reopen. State officials will impose a phased reopening of the economy across Dallas on Friday.

Luther was fined $7,000. She would receive additional fines of $500 for each day her business continues to remain open until Friday.

Judge Eric Moye told Luther that people could not disobey the law. No one can determine for themselves what they would and would not do.


In Court

Two law enforcement employees said they witnessed multiple clients getting haircuts and manicures inside the parlor.

On April 25, Luther joined demonstrators rallying to reopen the state. During the protest, she ripped up a cease-and-desist letter handed to her. The previous week, she told followers on a social media platform that she had a right to remain open.

In court, she defended her decision to partially reopen her business, citing she had hairstylists and employees who were going hungry as they chose to feed their children instead.

"So, sir, if you think the law is more important than kids being fed, then please go ahead with your decision," she said.


Calls for Release

Several prominent conservative figures in Texas rallied to Luther's defense. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said Judge Moye's decision was excessive. He also said imprisoning Texans for disobeying executive orders should always be the last option.

Abbott, a Republican, said he believes compliance is vital during the pandemic as it ensures public safety. However, he also stressed that there are less restrictive means of achieving the goal other than serving time in jail.

Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick offered to pay for Luther's fine as well as serve her sentence under house arrest. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton called for the hair salon owner's immediate release.

District Judge Eric Moye addressed the requests in a statement released late Wednesday. He and 11 other district judges condemned the attorney general's 'inappropriate' conduct for urging Luther's release.

Moye claims their unwelcome behavior offends the separation of powers for members of the Executive Branch of the government to interfere with the judicial process.

Democrats also accused their Republican counterparts of hypocrisy. They said the Republicans immediately flew into outrage over the salon owner's seven days in jail but refused to acknowledge the plight of thousands of inmates in corrections facilities in the state.


Watch the court proceeding here:


Want to read more? Check these out: