GPD

07-20-06 G-dumping
Copyright LJM 2006

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GARY--It's been going on for years but Thursday, the message was
clear: illegal dumping in Gary will bring jail time and a hefty fine.
Gary Mayor Rudy Clay delivered this message at a press conference
Thursday, hailing the work of code enforcement police who responded
to a call of illegal dumping Wednesday afternoon in the 800 block of
Lincoln Street.
"The lesson that should be learned is that if you dump garbage in
Gary (illegally) you go to jail and your truck will be impounded,"
Clay said.
Clay is taking the tough stance because he said for years, residents
and those who live outside of Gary, have been taking advantage of the
city by dumping their trash and bulk items anywhere they pleased.
According to police reports, Cpl. Len Miller and Ofc. Anthony
Boleware arrived on the scene in squad cars to find two black males
allegedly dumping from a red and blue pick up truck, dry wall and
other construction materials in an alley.
Duane L. Campbell 28, of Gary and Aliel Pettis, 28 of Joliet,
Ill.--but who listed a Gary address, were arrested Wednesday and
charged with criminal mischief, a misdemeanor. Campbell and Pettis
were cited for dumping litter in an alley. Both men are scheduled to
appear in court August 16.
But it didn't have to happen that way.
"On the very next block, there is a dumpster. They were doing
construction on a house. They took everything out of the house and
put it in the garage and in the evening they backed their truck up
and took it out and dumped it in the alley. Miller and Boleware
caught them on a traffic stop," Terry Smith, GPD Inspector, said.
Smith is in charge of code enforcement for the city of Gary.
"This is a continuing investigation," Smith said. The owners of
the house were cited for not having garbage cans or improper garbage
cans, failure to maintain property, unsanitary conditions, creating a
nuisance, accumulation of garbage and unnecessary storage and debris.
Owners of the property on Lincoln Street can face thousands of
dollars in fines. Campbell and Pettis are not only facing fines for
the misdemeanor arrest and code enforcement violations but also have
a $1,000 bond, Smith said.
The mayor kicked off a clean Gary initiative in May and since then
has staged several clean -up efforts involving volunteers and the
General Services Department.
Clay has asked citizens to clean around their homes and to involve
their neighbors. He has asked residents to remove abandoned cars from
property and dispose of hazardous and bulk waste appropriately.
Gary residents may dump bulk items free of charge two times a day at
4710 Industrial Highway and three times per week at an east side
residential drop-off site located at 15th Avenue and Clay Street.
However moving vans, trailers and dump trucks must pay commercial
rate.
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