Public encouraged to report incidents if seen

The Lawrence-Scioto Solid Waste Management District has taken on multiple cases in the past month of people misusing the district’s recycling bins and/or illegally dumping trash and other debris.

“We ended the year with 177 cases investigated between both Lawrence and Scioto Counties, but a lot of them were in Lawrence County,” Dan Palmer, district director, said. “And we only have one officer who handles everything in the two counties.”

The following six cases were from the end of November through December in Lawrence County Municipal Court.

• Roger D. Adkins, 68, of 3830 State Route 7 A, Chesapeake, was found guilty of purchasing a new television, and placing his old one in the box of the new one before putting it into the recycling bins at the South Point Sam’s Club/Walmart location. Adkins was sentenced to five days in jail suspended, ordered to pay a fine, which was also suspended, court costs of $110, and restitution of $169.29 to the solid waste district.

• Lisa L. Ross, 47, of 17025 State Route 7, Crown City, was found guilty of placing lawn furniture on the ground of the parking lot next to the recycling bins at the Proctorville Kroger location. She was sentenced to 10 days in jail suspended, and ordered to pay a fine of $100, court costs of $110 and complete 30 hours of community service.

• Adam Coleman, 30, of 453 Oak Lane, Huntington, West Virginia, was found guilty of placing mattresses and other bedding materials into the recycling bins at the South Point Sam’s Club/Walmart location. He was sentenced to three days jail suspended, one year probation, and ordered to pay a fine of $100, court costs of $110, restitution of $169.29 to the solid waste district and complete two days of community service.

• Samuel Egan, 22, 3803 Brandon Road, Huntington, West Virginia, was found guilty of placing bedding and other household materials into the recycling bins at the South Point Sam’s Club/Walmart location. He was sentenced to five days in jail suspended, one year probation, and ordered to pay a fine of $200, court costs of $110, restitution of $169.29 to the solid waste district and complete 12 hours of community service.

• Ralph R. Kelley, 85, of 805 Second St. E., South Point, was found guilty of having two boys place mattresses in the recycling bins at the South Point Sam’s Club/Walmart location. The mattresses were eventually picked up, and he was ordered to pay court costs of $110.

• Sierra McGraw, 22, of 135 Township Road 85 E., Chesapeake, was found guilty of abusing dumpsters on someone else’s property. She was ordered to pay court costs of $110 and to stay off the property that she was using.

• Robert Calaway, 43, of 1831 County Road 121, Proctorville, was found guilty in an open dumping case that went in as a felony, but got reduced to a misdemeanor of the first-degree. Calaway was dumping a significant amount of construction debris, as well as more than 200 tires, on his business property in Proctorville near a creek. He was sentenced to one-year probation, and ordered to pay a fine of $500 and court costs of $110.

“We need everyone’s cooperation, at the Sam’s Club/Walmart location especially, to be able to continue to stop these incidents from happening,” Steve Hileman, district enforcement officer, said. “If you see any illegal dumping, please take photos and get a license plate number if you can.”

As far as illegally dumping in prohibited areas or using someone else’s dumpsters on private property, Palmer said the district handles all of those things.

“We enforce all dumpsters and everything trash related,” Palmer said. “If you go on someone else’s property to use their dumpsters, it’s theft of service and unauthorized use of a private dumpster, which are both misdemeanors of the third-degree.”

Palmer and Hileman also said that the district will begin posting more to its website, www.lsswmd.org and its Facebook page, Lawrence-Scioto Solid Waste Management District.