JAILED OWNER OF SALON IS FREED

Texas woman had defied governor’s shutdown orders

DALLAS

A Texas salon owner who defied Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s emergency orders and was jailed for keeping her business open walked out free Thursday to cheering supporters after the governor weakened his enforcement of coronavirus safeguards and a court ordered her released.

Shelley Luther, owner of a Salon A La Mode in Dallas, wore a mask while leaving jail less than 48 hours after a judge sentenced her to a week behind bars for flouting public health orders meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Her punishment had become a rallying cry for Republican lawmakers and conservative activists who have railed against lockdown measures in Texas, even as the state reopens at a speed faster than many others in the U.S.

Luther, who refused to apologize or promise to keep her business closed even after a Dallas judge said doing so might keep her out of jail, said she was overwhelmed as she walked toward a crowd chanting her name.

In April, Luther tore up a cease-and-desist letter in front of TV cameras at an “Open Texas” rally in the Dallas suburbs.

Her release came hours after Abbott rushed to her defense by removing jail as a punishment for defying virus safeguards, thereby removing the toughest penalty.

His new order did not mention removing other penalties, including fines, but the relaxed rules reflects the increasing pressure Abbott is under to more quickly reboot the Texas economy, even though he has already allowed restaurants and retailers to start letting customers back inside — a step many other governors have been reluctant to take.

Abbott made the announcement in a statement just before meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House to discuss the response to the pandemic. That statement also mentioned two women along the Texas border, Ana Isabel Castro-garcia and Brenda Stephanie Mata, who the Laredo Morning Times reports were similarly jailed and released the same day for violating restrictions on nonessential businesses. Their arrests, however, have not drawn as much attention or inspired protests.

Facing protests and open defiance of his orders, Abbott seems to be moving ahead of his earlier timelines to gradually reopen the Texas economy.

The state will allow all hair salons to resume business today, which comes just a week after Abbott suggested that he was aiming toward mid-may.