How to Land in Jail in San Angelo: Wierd Texas Laws

Texas has some crazy laws. You won't believe some of the things that are still illegal in San Angelo. Some of these are out-of-date laws that never were formally repealed. In many other cases, one would have to wonder what was going on that caused a deliberative legislative body to enact such a crazy rule.  Here are some crazy laws that could still technically get you locked up in San Angelo.

1. Don't Eat Your Neighbor's Garbage

Somebody, somewhere here in Texas must have had some pretty tasty garbage.  Otherwise, how on earth  did this become a law. Not only is it disgusting and could make you sick, turns out it's still against the law here in Texas. There are exceptions.  You must get your neighbor's permission first.  If you don't and you eat their garbage, you could be jailed for trespassing and property theft.

2. Don't shoot a buffalo from the Second Floor of a Hotel. 

According to houston-crimalattorney.com, there's still an active law in Texas that prohibits shooting a buffalo from the second story of a hotel.  To be fair, the Texas Legislative Reference library looked for the law and couldn't find any reference to it.  But there are old law books in Texas that still refer to his piece of legislation.  To be safe, don't chance it.

3. Don't Milk Your Neighbor's Cow

In Texas, you better not reach for a stranger's udders.  Milking a stranger's cow in Texas could get you a fine of $10. The law was removed in 1973, but such an act is still considered illegal and you can face property theft charges.

4. Better Hide Your Encyclopedia Britannica

It's not that Texans are against knowledge. This law is all about beer. The law doesn't want people turning their homes into breweries, so the entire set of the Encyclopedia Britannica is banned.  Apparently, they contain a recipe for making beer.  Thumbing through the pages of this encyclopedia, could mean jailtime. Fortunately now, Texans are allowed to homebrew no more than 200 gallons of alcoholic beverages per year, but owning the Encyclopedia Britannica is still problematic.

5. It's illegal to commit a crime in Texas without giving 24-hour notice.

It's now a crime to "commit a crime of violence against the person or property of another in Texas,  without having first notified the victim of your intent to commit the crime and violate the victim's rights. Putting it in writing might help you avoid the penalty, although it might ruin the element of surprise, which arguably is reasonably required in order to successfully perpetrate said crime.

6. It's illegal to sell one's eyes and other organs too.

According to the Texas Penal Code Section 48.02, it is illegal to sell human organs. Selling and purchasing eyes, heart, kidneys, pancreas, liver, lungs, skin, and other organs or tissues is strictly prohibited. You could end up in jail for one year and incur fines of up to $4000. There are exceptions, selling your hair or blood is still legal.

7. Don't drink more than 3 sips of beer while standing.

Better practice the art of drinking beer while laying down, because in Texas, it is against the law to take more than 3 sips while standing. So sit down at the bar and have at it. It might be even more comfortable to lay down and drink your beer.

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