TIRE DUMPER JAILED

Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr. announced today that James L. Jackson, 44, of the 5000 block of Roseld Court in Oxen Hill, was convicted of commercial dumping of scrap tires. Jackson pled guilty in Prince George's County Circuit Court this morning.

Jackson previously operated an illegal scrap tire lot on Kaverton Road in the Forestville area of Prince George's County. That lot was not licensed and was prohibited at that location by Prince George's County's Zoning Code. Both the Maryland Department of the Environment and Prince George's County officials tried repeatedly to stop the dumping at that site. In the spring of 2002, Jackson entered into an agreement to stop using the lot and to remove all the tires.

In April 2002, a Maryland State Trooper assigned to the Environmental Crimes Unit witnessed Jackson back a truck full of tires to the rear fence of the then padlocked lot, and throw more tires over the fence into the lot. Jackson had been paid to haul the tires from a shopping center in Montgomery County.

In addition to having previously acknowledged that the site was illegal, Jackson was dumping additional tires at the same time a contractor hired by the property's lender was being paid to clean up the existing illegal tire pile. A total of 46,700 tires were removed from the property by the end of 2002.

Judge Vincent J. Femia sentenced Jackson to serve one year in jail. The maximum sentence for commercial dumping is up to five years in jail and/or a $25,000 fine.

"Illegal tire dumping is not only a public health threat, but damages the character and appearance of communities in our State," Attorney General Curran said. "Mr. Jackson continued to illegally dump tires where he knew he could not legally do so and in spite of the repeated efforts of State and local authorities."

This conviction follows a joint investigation conducted by the Environmental Crimes Unit of the Office of the Attorney General and the Maryland State Police with the assistance of the Maryland Department of the Environment's Scrap Tire Program.

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