Fayette County begins cracking down on illegal dumping after hauler takes woman's money
A Fayette County community is cracking down when it comes to illegal dumping.
North Union Township Supervisors said a man, who was hired to haul away unwanted items for a resident, instead dumped them in a remote area and took the cash.
"There was a guy riding a side by side, and he spotted the garbage," said Ron Landman, a North Union Township Supervisor. "The guy on the side-by-side dug through, found some names, and then started sending us a name so we could try to pursue and find out if we could figure out who had dumped the trash."
Landman said after doing some research, the name on the mail was found to be of a deceased woman. That's when they decided to go to the address on the mail.
"There was a lady that came out, and when we approached her, she said, 'I know what you're here for,' because she had seen this blow up on Facebook," Landman said. "She had paid a guy to dispose of this that was supposed to go to the dump. He even gave her a dump price and his price for labor and the actor did not do what he was supposed to do."
Landman said the woman paid a total of $150 for landfill fees and a hauling fee. Instead, the suspect dumped it in a remote area off Old Braddock Road.
"We encourage people, if you're going to have somebody come and haul something away, please get a background on them," Landman said.
The victim did have the suspect's first name and a phone number and that's how Landman said police were able to track him down.
"In the past this actor, she had used him to haul like scrap away. Well, scrap, of course, he's going to get some money out of it at the junkyard. So, when he came back and offered to haul this out, she figured he was legit because this is the second time that she had an engagement with him. But unfortunately, he wasn't," Landman said.
This isn't the first time supervisors have caught those illegally dumping in the township.
"We've had another area that was a hot spot, another remote area. So, we put cameras up, and we've caught several with cameras," Landman said.
He also reminded people that the township has mandatory garbage and recycling that accepts items like mattresses, couches, and furniture for a low fee.
"There's really no need to even dump along the road anymore because what you're going to pay at the recycling center, just say, $2 or $5 when we're done with you, with the magistrate, it's going to be a substantial fee. So, it's not even worth trying a stunt like this," Landman said.
State police said they've identified the suspect and charges are expected including scattering rubbish and theft.
