Meter Aid Nets $500 Fine for Granny

Sylvia Stayton’s random act of kindness will end up costing her much more than the dime and nickel she plunked in other people’s expired parking meters: A judge fined her $500 for obstructing the official business of a police officer--that is, writing tickets. “I did nothing wrong. I stand on that,� she said. Her attorney said an appeal is likely. Stayton, 63, and a grandmother of 10, was handcuffed and arrested Oct. 24 for feeding two meters despite an officer’s warning she was breaking the law. She became something of a folk hero and earned a nickname, “meter-feeding granny.� She could have received 90 days in jail and a $750 fine.