I hope whoever’s reading this is having / had a great time at uni, because this is a terrifying look into your future right here.

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A man named Paul Aker from Houston, Texas was arrested outside his home after U.S. marshalls rocked up with guns and surrounded his house before ordering him to come out.

This is Paul:

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The U.S. marshalls claimed they’d made several attempts over the last 3 years to get Paul to court, but say he refused. So they issued a warrant for his arrest.

Paul says this is untrue, and believes the force used to track him down and arrest him was excessive.

I walk out slowly with my hands up, I’m here, I’m here.

It wasn’t until the ride to jail that they told him what he’d just been arrested for — an outstanding student loan.

What? All those guys and all those guns for a student loan. How much? The judge will tell you, the judge wants to see you.

Paul says he had two previous loans he paid off after graduating from Prairie View A&M University and didn’t know he still owed $1,500. They said they sent out a bunch of notices to him since 2006 but he says he never received them.

(The judge) asked me if I was in the habit of stealing from the US Government? I said, no sir.

The U.S. Marshals Service released a statement:

It is the responsibility of the U.S. Marshals to serve civil processes at direction of the federal courts. These civil processes include summonses for individuals to appear in court to address delinquent federal loans, including student, agricultural and other loans made by federal agencies.

Paul says he was never offered a phone call and wasn’t told he could contact a lawyer before agreeing to reimburse the government $1,258.60 for arresting him and a payment plan of $200 a month to pay off the loan and accrued interest.

He adds that it took him days to get over the shock and is just glad his family wasn’t home when it happened.

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So there it is. Been avoiding those student loan repayments? You should fully expect an army at your door any day now. Very annoying especially when you consider how pointless university is for the majority of people who attend. So many kids go to uni, get crushed under tens of thousands of pounds worth of loans because they think that’s what you’re supposed to do, and then wind up practically penniless until they die. Horrible cycle.

Just make sure you get a degree that actually matters, and even then — pay back those loans or find a damn good hiding place.