Driver cited for illegal dumping

Thursday morning  a concerned citizen notified the Titus County Sheriff’s Office that he had observed a black pickup and trailer traveling on FM 2348 near the Chauncey May Memorial and that the vehicle was losing litter or garbage out of the trailer.

While deputies were initially unable to locate the vehicle, one went to the Pleasant Oaks Landfill where the deputy was able to learn the probable identity of the operator of the black Mazda pickup and trailer. The landfill indicated that the owner of the truck normally offloaded at the landfill several times each week.

With a hunch the vehicle was on its way to the landfill, the deputy did not have to wait very long before observing the black Mazda pickup and trailer approaching the landfill. Upon identifying the driver, the deputy learned that the driver lives near where the vehicle was first reported and that the driver conducts business of rural garbage collection.

As the deputy inspected the vehicle, it was clear that the load was not secure and there had been no effort on the part of the driver to secure the load, neither in the trailer nor the bed of his pickup. At that time the deputy informed the driver of the requirements for all loads to be secured. The driver was cited for failing to secure his load, a class C Misdemeanor that is violation of Texas Transportation Code. The deputy explained to the driver where he had been losing at least part of his load.

A short time later the deputy was notified by the original caller that there were two bags of trash on FM 2348 near the Chauncey May Memorial and that he, the witness, had personally observed that the bags of garbage fall from the suspect’s trailer. The deputy went to the location and then summoned the suspect driver to that location, at which time the driver was cited for illegal dumping, in an amount less than 5 pounds, a Class C misdemeanor and a violation of the Texas Health and Safety Code. The driver was then required to retrieve the garbage he had lost off the trailer and to secure the load with a tarp. For his disregard for littering laws, this driver has received two citations, each with a potential fine of $500.00 and court costs.

All drivers who transport garbage and other wastes are legally required to make sure their load is secure sufficiently so that none of the garbage or litter can blow out of the transporting vehicle. Titus County Sheriff’s Office takes this very serious and certainly appreciates the vigilance of concerned citizens who pay attention to this sort of activity and follow through, to call and report activities like this or any other circumstances where someone is littering or dumping illegally.