Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 4 · column 1 of 3 · from the scan, no model involved
Editorial
V
An unfortunate case
On Tuesday, the county brought its first trash dumping case to Rappahannock County General District Court. An Amissville resident was accused of illegally dumping two bags of trash on the ground at the old dumpster site on Route 642, after the site had been closed. The charge was brought after Sheriff John Henry Woodward discovered several pieces of trash with the man’s name on them.
The man’s son testified that he took the trash to the dumpsters, not knowing that the site had been closed. After someone told him about the new landfill on Route 639, he said, he took the rest of the family’s trash there. He had simply forgotten to pick up the two bags left on the ground, he added.
The boy’s father asked him one question — his reaction to the charge of illegal dumping. “He grounded me for a week,” the young man told Judge Charles Foley.
Telling the boy’s father that “It appears that the culprit has already been punished,” Judge Foley dismissed the charge.
Although Judge Foley’s action was probably justified in this case, we hope that he will support, from the bench, the ^ county’s effort to put a stop to illegal dumping. ,~Those
who have spent time in courts, in whatever capacity, know that there are nearly as many stories offered for why an offense happened as there are defendants. Some are justified — not everyone accused of a crime is guilty — and indeed everyone is presumed innocent until proven otherwise.
But we hope that Judge Foley will look hard at any further illegal dumping cases brought by the county — and at the explanations offered by the defendants. County Administrator John McCarthy assured the Rappahannock News that he intends to continue prosecuting violators, with the assistance of the sheriff and his department.
Illegal dumping, while certainly not a huge crime in the larger context, is symptomatic of a lack of concern for others. And, as has been pointed out in this column before, it looks terrible. Trash strewn across the countryside is offensive to residents and to visitors, and those people who are too lazy to dispose of their garbage properly ought to be subject to the full penalty allowed by the law.
“We will continue charging people with this offense,” the county administrator said Tuesday, “as long as it will make them come to court and face their responsibility.”
Bravo, Mr. McCarthy.
91.6%