Man illegally dumped 10,000 tires, AG says

More than 10,000 tires were dumped in Plain Grove Township.
A Butler County man is accused of illegally dumping more than 10,000 waste tires on private property in Butler and Lawrence counties.
Attorney General Tom Corbett today announced that agents from the Attorney General's Environmental Crimes Section have filed criminal charges against Charles W. Tanner, 70, 120 White Oak Drive, Butler.
According to the charges, Tanner was paid by service stations and auto wrecking shops in Butler, Mercer and Armstrong counties to handle the disposal of waste tires from their businesses. But Tanner dumped the tires on private property throughout the area rather than take them to a licensed disposal site, the charges state.
Corbett said that between June 2005 and October 2005, Tanner dumped about 10,000 waste tires behind a home along Woodwind Lane, Plain Grove Township, Lawrence County, without the homeowner's knowledge. Tanner dumped an additional 400 tires on a property along East Butler Road, Summit Township, Butler County, the charges state.
Tanner was never authorized by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to transport, store or dispose of waste tires, the charges contend.
The charges
Tanner is charged with two counts of illegally dumping solid waste, two counts of illegally storing or disposing of solid waste and two counts of illegally transporting solid waste. Each count is a third-degree misdemeanor and carries a penalty of up to one year in prison and a fine of $1,000 to $25,000 per day.
The criminal charges were filed before Chicora Magisterial District Judge Lewis Stoughton, who issued a summons for Tanner to appear for a preliminary hearing at 2:30 p.m. July 25.
The case will be prosecuted in Butler County by Deputy Attorney General Andrew Thiros of the Attorney General's Environmental Crimes Section.
Corbett noted that Tanner is also the subject of a May 2006 court order in Butler County to remove waste tires from locations where they were illegally dumped and make arrangements to transport them to a licensed disposal facility.