 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
Archives
05-02-2001 News
Inmates Clean Up Roadside Dump
Inmates
Clean Up Roadside Dump
Richard Rogers, left, and Michael Cox, inmates at Overton County Jail, stand alongside trash they spent several hours gathering, along with another inmate. The workers collected this trash over a period of two days.
"Beautiful Tennessee" isn't very beautiful in all areas, especially in Dry Hollow, due to what may be considered laziness and lack of responsibility. For at least 20 years, a roadside in this community of Overton County has been used as a personal landfill by some. But much of the trash has been at this location for only a few weeks, according to Bobby McCoin, project coordinator with the Overton County Executive's Office. As part of the Litter Grant Program, administered out of the Executive's Office, inmates from Overton County Jail are allowed to participate in the cleanup, saving the county a lot of money. The inmates are not paid for the work and are selected by good behavior and/or short sentences, according to Sgt. Tim Poore, Overton County Sheriff's Department. Referring to the litter program, Poore said, "I think it's pretty good. They are giving back to the county what they've taken out." Bobby Lawson, litter grant officer, supervises the work and drives the van of inmates to and from sites. Workers cleaned up a great deal of trash Wednesday, April 25 and Thursday, April 26, which included refrigerators, stoves, dryers, stock feeders, and other miscellaneous trash. Also dumped were dead cows and other large animals. On Wednesday alone, the workers collected a 40 yard roll-off box full of metal trash and a trailer full of miscellaneous trash. McCoin said this collection was the largest for Overton County in a long time. "We hope the fact that we're cleaning it off will keep people from dumping trash here so we don't have to come back again." The irony is, those disposing of trash now by throwing it out the window as they're driving along or taking it and dumping it off somewhere pay for it later in taxes when it has to be cleaned up. According to McCoin, the act of collecting this garbage costs county taxpayers quite a bit of money every year. Some members of the Dry Hollow Community are not happy about the dumping situation whatsoever. One downstream neighbor of the site said, "This is the headwater of West Fork River, which runs straight into Dale Hollow Lake. There are dead cows and other animals dumped at this site. I think this might be something the Corps of Engineers would be interested in." More than 400 tons of trash are collected off Overton County roadsides yearly, according to McCoin, when residents of the county, by law, should have it hauled off to an official dumping site. The Overton County Solid Waste Department hauled off the trash collected last week to a county convenience center, where the gatherings can now be recycled.
Fake $10
Bills Passed In Overton County Livingston Police Department is currently investigating the passing of a counterfeit $10 bill. According to police, the bogus bill appears to be faded green and may have been copied. Several businesses in Overton County have reported similar incidents. Anyone with information concerning the passing of the bogus bills are urged to contact Livingston Police Department at 823-6496.
Clay County Man Arrested In Overtonh A Clay County man was arrested in Overton County after an alleged domestic dispute at a home on Willow Grove Highway. According to reports, Josh Gaw, 22, was in a dispute with his father when he allegedly shot through the front door of the house. Clay County Sheriff's Department notified Overton County law enforcement that Gaw could be headed into Overton County. Overton County deputies apprehended Gaw on Coffee Mountain after he took a side road and ran away on foot. He was caught around 7:30 p.m. Gaw was returned to Clay County where he was charged with aggravated domestic assault. Charges in Overton County are pending.
Overton County News
|
Becky Meredith OCN staff