After writing several articles about littering in St. John the Baptist Parish in parking lots, on private property and on public property and the illegal dumping of used tires, this week I feel that I must write about littering once again.

As you can see from the photograph, a large pile of illegally disposed of used tires has been thrown on private property. When you get your tires changed or replaced, you are billed $2 per tire on the used tire to have it properly disposed of. However, someone is taking your money and illegally dumping the tires.

On Thursday, I received a call from St. John’s Code Enforcement office about tires being illegally dumped on a lot located at 3407 Main St. in LaPlace. The property is located on old Highway 51, and the home had been vacated. Someone in the tire business drove behind the residence and dumped a large pile of used tires. The fine for illegal dumping of used tires is $25,000. So you won’t think this is a typing error, the fine is, twenty-five thousand dollars.

St. John’s District Attorney, Tom Daley, will prosecute anyone caught illegally dumping, with sufficient evidence, to the fullest extent of the law. Anyone with any information or seeing a large truck going into this property or leaving this property can call Lt. Wayne Norwood at the St. John Parish Sheriff’s Office at 985-652-7058. All calls will remain confidential but will be investigated.

Together we can stop litter in St. John Parish and make this parish a cleaner place to live and raise our families. You can make a difference.

Wayne Norwood is a lieutenant with the St. John the Baptist Sheriff’s Department and owner and operator of the Louisiana Treasures Museum.