Hugh G. Willett, Special to the News Sentinel
Some Loudon County residents awoke Sunday morning to find the streets blocked and the sides of the roads piled high with used vehicle tires.
The Loudon County Commission Monday night voted to offer a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for dumping hundreds of used tires.
Loudon Sheriff Tim Guider said as many as 400 tires were dumped off the sides of several secondary roads sometime Saturday night or early Sunday morning. Most of the tires were dumped off Prospect Church Road, Sugarlimb Road and Robinson Drive.
"It's like they were just going down the road throwing them out," he said.
Guider said he has an investigative team working on the crime and that he has spoken with the District Attorney's office about possible enhancements including charging multiple counts of littering.
"We'll take anonymous phone calls and tips if anyone knows anything about this," he said.
The county commission was appalled at the audacity of the crime, according to Commissioner Van Shaver.
"On Robinson Drive they just threw the tires off onto the road, blocking traffic," he said.
Shaver said all the tires were old and worn but some had prices marked on them indicating they had been sold at a used tire market or a recapping facility.
By Tuesday most of the tires had been picked up by the county and transported to the landfill at Matlock Bend. Investigator Billy Hall said he's not sure if more tires had been scattered around in yet-undiscovered areas.
He said the county has experienced such incidents before, but not in this quantity.
"Seems like about every four months it happens," he said.
Hall said it's clear this was not a random act of littering but probably an illegal business venture. The cost to properly and legally dispose of used tires is as much as $3 per tire. An unscrupulous entrepreneur might try to undercut the going rate for disposal and then dump the tires along the side of the road.
He said he hopes someone will read about the crime and remember either the large load of tires or someone offering to dispose of tires cheaply. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Loudon County Sheriff's Office.
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