A strange Texan judge has sentenced a man to a lifetime of marriage in an assault case.
A Texan judge has sentenced a man charged with assault to a lifetime of marriage.
The 20-year-old man was charged with assault after he ended up in a fight with his 19-year-old girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend.
“Is she worth it?” Judge Randall Lee Rogers asked him, according to KLTV, citing court transcripts.
Rogers then told the man he would spend 15 days in jail unless he agreed to marry his girlfriend, to prove she was worth fighting for.
“He offered me fifteen days in jail and that would have been fine and I asked if I could call my job [to let them know],” the defendant told the station. “The judge told me ‘nope, that’s not how this works.’”
He agreed to tie the knot for fear a 15 day jail stint would cost him his job.
“It just felt like we weren’t going to be able to have the wedding we wanted,” the girlfriend, told KLTV after the couple had applied for a marriage license.
“It was just going to be kind of pieced together. I didn’t even have a white dress,” she said, adding that she would rather get married in the spring when the weather is less hot.
According to reports, when the bride’s father was contacted for comment, he revealed that he had sought legal advice over whether or not he could force the young couple to marry. Whether the couple plan to take any legal action against the judge is unclear.
Judge Rogers couldn’t be reached for comment.
