Man charged for illegal dumping
Houston County Courier -  August 2009

By Daphne Hereford
Managing Editor
News@houstoncountycourier.com

A Crockett man was charged with illegal dumping in connection with trash that was recovered from a creek bed on Pease Street near the railroad tracks.
In a hearing that was held in the City of Crockett Municipal Court on Wednesday, Sept. 16, Francisco Alfonso Campos pleaded guilty to the Class C
misdemeanor and was ordered by Municipal Judge Mo Amjad to pay a $250 fine.
According to City of Crockett Environmental Control Officer Ray Fleming, the pile of trash included a mattress, two tires, roll of carpet, two chairs, milk crate, two bags of household garbage and several large bags that had contained cattle feed.
The trash was first reported to the city on Friday, Aug. 7, just one day after community service workers had removed other debris from that location.
Once authorities were able to determine who the owner of the trash was, Crockett Police Department Officer Dan McElhaney issued a citation for the offense.
Fleming said the trash has been removed from the Pease Street location and properly disposed of.
Fleming said that the severity of the charges handed down for illegal dumping depend on the type and amount of garbage involved in the infraction.
He said violators could be charged with anything from a Class C misdemeanor to a state jail felony that carries a fine of $1,000-$50,000 and/or 5 years in prison.
Fleming said, “Illegal dumping will not be tolerated in the city or the county.”
“Violators of the illegal dumping statutes will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Fleming added.
Fleming said residents who had questions about the proper disposal of any type refuse could contact the solid waste department for proper instructions to avoid a citation.