A Texas judge gave Josten Bundy an unusual ultimatum recently after he got into a physical altercation with his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend — cement his relationship in marriage or face 15 days in jail.
Smith County Court at Law Judge Randall Lee Rogers gave Bundy a choice in July after he was charged with assault for punching girlfriend Elizabeth Jaynes' ex — marrying her as part of his probation or go to jail. Bundy ultimately picked the
altar over the slammer, according to KLTV last week.
During the sentencing hearing, Rogers asked Bundy if Jaynes was "worth" punching her ex-boyfriend over back in February.
"I said, well to be honest, sir, I was raised with four sisters and if any man was talking to a woman like that," Bundy told the television station, explaining his response to the judge. "I'd probably do the same thing."
That's when Rogers gave Bundy the choice of marrying Jaynes within 30 days — along with orders to write Bible verses — or go straight to jail, not allowing him to call his employer, KLTV reported.
Jaynes told the television station that she was embarrassed by Rogers' order, adding that a quick courthouse wedding was not what she imagined.
"My face was so red, people behind me were laughing," Jaynes told KLTV. "[Rogers] made me stand up in court . . . It just felt like we weren't going to be able to have the wedding we wanted. It was just going to be kind of pieced together; I didn't even have a white dress."
Not that they don't love each other, but Bundy and Jaynes admitted they feared Bundy losing his job if he
ended up spending two weeks in jail, they told The Huffington Post.
"We live paycheck to paycheck," Jaynes said, adding that she and Bundy had been together for two years. "If he had gone to jail, I wouldn't have been able to make the rent by myself."
Kenneth Jaynes, Elizabeth Jaynes' father, said to the television station that he thought the judge was out of bounds with his wedding order.
"[I felt] anger; I was mad," Kenneth Jaynes said. "[Rogers] can't do this by court ordering somebody to be married. I contacted a couple of lawyers but they told me someone was trying to pull my leg . . . that judges don't court order somebody to get married."
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