Truck driver arrested for illegal dumping to lighten his load
Published 12:00 am Friday, December 14, 2007
BATON ROUGE – Jeffery Brown, 30, was arrested on Friday on charges of illegal disposal of solid waste. Brown, a driver for Bisteneau Trucking, was caught on video on April 7 at the Range Avenue, I-12 East on-ramp dumping part of a load of urea, an industrial agricultural product, in an effort to lighten his overloaded truck.
Brown was later cited at the truck scales just east of Denham Springs for an overweight load a few minutes later. This is the second such incident in Livingston Parish in as many years. Livingston Parish Police Department and Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality personnel responded to both of these incidents. Brown is subject to a maximum fine of $25,000 and up to one year in jail.
“It’s not uncommon for truckers to try to lighten their load or to illegally dump residual substances left in their trucks from a previous shipment,” said Peter Ricca.
, DEQ Criminal Investigation Division manager. “We have found many of the people who dump illegally are doing so to save money. However, they need to know that there are hefty fines and possible jail time if they are caught and that’s not worth the little bit of money they can save.”