LAUREL WOMAN CONVICTED FOR ILLEGAL SCRAP TIRE DISPOSAL

Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr. is pleased to announce the conviction today of a Laurel woman, Betty Jean Neal, age 36, for two counts of illegally disposing of scrap tires. Ms. Neal pled guilty before the Honorable Judge Hassan El-Amin in the District Court of Maryland for Prince George’s County.

Ms. Neal was sentenced to thirty days in prison for each count, which was suspended in favor of three years’ probation. As a condition of probation, Ms. Neal must pay $5,460 in restitution to Public Storage, Inc. for disposal of the tires. She was further ordered to pay fines & court costs in the amount of $2,055, of which all but $100 was suspended. The maximum penalty for each offense is thirty days in prison and/or a $1,000 fine.

Ms. Neal rented storage units at two Public Storage, Inc. facilities in Prince George’s County in April 2002. She abandoned the units a month later, leaving a total of more than 2,000 scrap automobile and truck tires inside the units. Ms. Neal is not licensed to haul scrap tires. By law, scrap tires must be transported by licensed haulers and disposed of at approved facilities.

"Illegally dumped tires are an eyesore in any community and serve as a breeding ground for disease-carrying insects, posing a health threat to children and others," Attorney General Curran said. "Therefore, we will continue to work together with other federal, state, and local agencies to investigate and prosecute those who illegally dump tires."

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