Posted 9:04 am Monday, February 13, 2012
Cherokee County Residents Warned To Clean Up Their Acts
TylerPaper.com video
By KELLY GOOCH
Staff Writer
Cherokee County Precinct 1 Constable Lynn Kelley came across an unexpected surprise when he drove his precinct roads last week.
Staff Writer
Cherokee County Precinct 1 Constable Lynn Kelley came across an unexpected surprise when he drove his precinct roads last week.
Off County Road 1316, a dirt road near Ponta, sat a pile of trash with children's toys, a playhouse, a pillow and an old swimming pool, among other items.
He hadn't found the culprit as of Tuesday but planned to present the illegal dumping case to Crime Stoppers.
“Ideally the people who dumped it will come clean it up,” Kelley said.
He hadn't found the culprit as of Tuesday but planned to present the illegal dumping case to Crime Stoppers.
“Ideally the people who dumped it will come clean it up,” Kelley said.
It's a constant issue for law enforcement officials trying to keep rural areas clean. They typically try to track down illegal dumpers and have them clean their own mess, sometimes without issuing a citation or making an arrest. If officials can't find the person, road crews will sometimes step in.
“I'm fairly lenient (on when it's picked up) …” Kelley said. “I'm not interested in (violators) taking off work (to do it), but I do want it done.”
“I'm fairly lenient (on when it's picked up) …” Kelley said. “I'm not interested in (violators) taking off work (to do it), but I do want it done.”
Once the area is cleaned, it's up to the culprits whether any of the items are recycled.
In Smith County, items are not recycled, but residents are encouraged to recycle or take items to a landfill.
Kelley said he has been successful in tracking down the perpetrators through resident complaints or Crime Stoppers tips.
In Smith County, items are not recycled, but residents are encouraged to recycle or take items to a landfill.
Kelley said he has been successful in tracking down the perpetrators through resident complaints or Crime Stoppers tips.
Cherokee County Precinct 2 Constable Jack White said he is able to use cameras to keep an eye on frequent illegal dumping sites. It's not usually hard to catch people, he said, because probably 75 percent of the time, people leave something behind with their name on it.
“When the people go out on these rural roads, they think there's a less chance to be discovered, but usually it's those people living on the back road who are most concerned about their property,” White said.
“They'll see a different truck or unfamiliar truck when it comes up. A lot of people on major roads are not paying (as close) attention.”
Once caught, illegal dumpers can be fined up to $500 or charged with a misdemeanor or even a felony, depending on the size and scope of the dumping.
Officials said it's a large price to pay when residents could take it to a disposal area for maybe $5 or $10 a pickup load.
Throughout the years, officials said they have made some interesting finds. Kelley had one case where two stolen vehicles and stolen copper were recovered.
“I've worked abatement cases where there are two bags of trash and sometimes there's a pickup load and trailer (worth),” he said. “During the burn ban (this summer) you would find household furniture (and) washers and dryers. For whatever reasons, it seemed to get larger items during the burn ban.”
Illegal dumping in general also picked up last summer because people couldn't burn their trash, Cherokee County Precinct 4 Constable Jamie Beene said, but they “finally got with the program.”
White said most of the dumps he deals with involves non-recyclable household garbage.
“It's trash bags. It's something that someone has either dropped or thrown out of a vehicle, so items are not really recyclable. It's rare that there (are) plastics or those kinds of recyclable items,” he said.
“It's typically diapers, paper goods and those kinds of items.”
Rusk County Precinct 5 Constable Jimmy Skinner has unearthed live gerbils from a dumping site and discovered residents discarding shingles into a dry bed pond.
Several factors can contribute to someone dumping, such as not wanting to take the time to dispose of items properly, officials said. They said some also might ask a friend or relative to dispose of items for them, and that person ends up dumping.
Mike Burton, a detective with the Smith County Environmental Crimes division, said some residents dump because they don't have money for rural route trash service.
“A lot of them will tell you they don't have the money. I know our economic situation nowadays. I know it's tough, but you can get a trash can for (about $20 a month). There are six or seven or eight different companies that service,” he said.
The cost of “one of my citations for illegal dumping will get them a year, year and a half of trash service.”
White said he works three to five illegal dumping cases a month. If it is a repeat offender or if something harmful gets into a waterway, he will typically issue a citation.
Skinner, who serves Henderson and the surrounding area, said illegal dumping has subsided since he came into office in 2005.
Back then, he said he had about 17 cases of illegal dumping filed, but now he only occasionally comes across it.
“I think people realized what would happen. It's pretty well (subsided) now. We had one case last week but couldn't find names,” he said.
“Some of them are getting wiser. Some of them are dumping without leaving personal information. I go through each bag one of a time. I will go through every bit to see if I find a name.”
In Smith County, Burton said his main objective is to get the area cleaned up. If detectives find a bag of trash on the road or someone dumping on someone else's property, they will give citations to all the culprits whose names they find.
Those citations could include illegal dumping of solid waste and/or illegal transportation of solid waste. Burton said all money from citations goes into the county's general fund.
“Every day we deal with it,” he said. “(Tuesday) morning (a) man called me about someone storing trash behind their house. It was probably two good size pickups (worth).”
Detective Tommy Goodman, litter abatement officer with Smith County, said the Environmental Crimes division likely works between 80 and 100 calls a month with illegal dumping and public nuisances.
To help curb that number, he encouraged people to get trash service and participate in the Smith County Wide Clean-up, which starts Monday and lasts two weeks. During that time, residents can get vouchers at the county annex building and Precinct 5 locations to take a pickup load up to three cubic yards to the landfill at no cost.
“When the people go out on these rural roads, they think there's a less chance to be discovered, but usually it's those people living on the back road who are most concerned about their property,” White said.
“They'll see a different truck or unfamiliar truck when it comes up. A lot of people on major roads are not paying (as close) attention.”
Once caught, illegal dumpers can be fined up to $500 or charged with a misdemeanor or even a felony, depending on the size and scope of the dumping.
Officials said it's a large price to pay when residents could take it to a disposal area for maybe $5 or $10 a pickup load.
Throughout the years, officials said they have made some interesting finds. Kelley had one case where two stolen vehicles and stolen copper were recovered.
“I've worked abatement cases where there are two bags of trash and sometimes there's a pickup load and trailer (worth),” he said. “During the burn ban (this summer) you would find household furniture (and) washers and dryers. For whatever reasons, it seemed to get larger items during the burn ban.”
Illegal dumping in general also picked up last summer because people couldn't burn their trash, Cherokee County Precinct 4 Constable Jamie Beene said, but they “finally got with the program.”
White said most of the dumps he deals with involves non-recyclable household garbage.
“It's trash bags. It's something that someone has either dropped or thrown out of a vehicle, so items are not really recyclable. It's rare that there (are) plastics or those kinds of recyclable items,” he said.
“It's typically diapers, paper goods and those kinds of items.”
Rusk County Precinct 5 Constable Jimmy Skinner has unearthed live gerbils from a dumping site and discovered residents discarding shingles into a dry bed pond.
Several factors can contribute to someone dumping, such as not wanting to take the time to dispose of items properly, officials said. They said some also might ask a friend or relative to dispose of items for them, and that person ends up dumping.
Mike Burton, a detective with the Smith County Environmental Crimes division, said some residents dump because they don't have money for rural route trash service.
“A lot of them will tell you they don't have the money. I know our economic situation nowadays. I know it's tough, but you can get a trash can for (about $20 a month). There are six or seven or eight different companies that service,” he said.
The cost of “one of my citations for illegal dumping will get them a year, year and a half of trash service.”
White said he works three to five illegal dumping cases a month. If it is a repeat offender or if something harmful gets into a waterway, he will typically issue a citation.
Skinner, who serves Henderson and the surrounding area, said illegal dumping has subsided since he came into office in 2005.
Back then, he said he had about 17 cases of illegal dumping filed, but now he only occasionally comes across it.
“I think people realized what would happen. It's pretty well (subsided) now. We had one case last week but couldn't find names,” he said.
“Some of them are getting wiser. Some of them are dumping without leaving personal information. I go through each bag one of a time. I will go through every bit to see if I find a name.”
In Smith County, Burton said his main objective is to get the area cleaned up. If detectives find a bag of trash on the road or someone dumping on someone else's property, they will give citations to all the culprits whose names they find.
Those citations could include illegal dumping of solid waste and/or illegal transportation of solid waste. Burton said all money from citations goes into the county's general fund.
“Every day we deal with it,” he said. “(Tuesday) morning (a) man called me about someone storing trash behind their house. It was probably two good size pickups (worth).”
Detective Tommy Goodman, litter abatement officer with Smith County, said the Environmental Crimes division likely works between 80 and 100 calls a month with illegal dumping and public nuisances.
To help curb that number, he encouraged people to get trash service and participate in the Smith County Wide Clean-up, which starts Monday and lasts two weeks. During that time, residents can get vouchers at the county annex building and Precinct 5 locations to take a pickup load up to three cubic yards to the landfill at no cost.
