Twin brothers, James Leon Wiles and Jesse Lee Wiles (11/15/89) were recently caught and cited for illegal dumping in Michaux State forest in Franklin County.
Jesse pled guilty to dumping brush on May 19, 2021 and James pled guilty for tossing trash bags on May 21 and a cathode ray tube (CRT) television on June 2. They were made to pay a total of $1,041 in fines and court costs.
Photos taken by surveillance cameras loaned to the state forest by Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful through their Illegal Dump Free PA program were used as evidence.
State Forest Rangers, Todd Ottinger and Scott Greevy, investigated and issued charges against the Wiles’ brothers.
Ranger Greevy said that the cameras used, on loan from Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, were a huge asset in prosecuting the case.
During the interviews that were conducted by the Ranger, the perpetrators of the acts lied repeatedly to the Ranger and only relented in their statements when shown photographic evidence of their acts.
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful's Illegal Dump Free PA program is designed to empower enforcement authorities to capture illegal dumping incidents as they happen.
“The Rangers have been valuable partners in decreasing illegal dumping in Michaux State Forest by holding trash cleanups and investigating those who dump illegally. Through publicizing these prosecutions, we hope to help curb the act of dumping. Dump cleanups bring a financial burden to our communities, state parks and forests and municipalities as they are often saddled with the responsibility and expense of cleaning it up. Cleanups are needed, but our end goal needs to be to stop the dumping in the first place. Our cameras can help do that,” explained Shannon Reiter, President of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful estimates that on average, it costs local communities $600 per ton or nearly $3,000 for an average illegal dump cleanup.
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful currently has ten sets of cameras at various dumping hot spots and recycling facilities across the state.
So far this year, there have been seven convictions, with 12 pending, as a direct result of the surveillance cameras installed as part of the program.
Illegal Dump Free PA also offers an option to report illegal dumping. So far in 2021, over 100 reports of illegal dumpsites, littering, and graffiti have been reported by concerned residents.
Once received, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful provides the information to local officials and partners. Reports can be made anonymously.
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s Illegal Dump Free PA camera loan program is open to municipalities, counties, government agencies, as well as non-profit organizations.
The grant includes the loan of a set of three high quality, motion activated, covert security cameras that provide instant wireless transmission of site activity, photo documentation of license plates at speeds of up to 50 MPH, and clear photos of activity day or night, which are key to prosecutions.
To learn more, visit KPB’s Camera Loan Program webpage or contact Rob Dubas at rdubas@keeppabeautiful.org.
For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful website. Click Here to become a member. Click Here to sign up for regular updates from KPB, Like them on Facebook, Follow on Twitter, Discover them on Pinterest and visit their YouTube Channel.
Also visit the Illegal Dump Free PA website for more ideas on how to clean up communities and keep them clean and KPB’s Electronics Waste website.
The 2021 Fall Pick Up Pennsylvania Initiative will be held through November 30. Questions should be directed to Michelle Dunn at 1-877-772-3673 Ext. 113 or send email to: mdunn@keeppabeautiful.org.
Keep PA Beautiful helps mobilize over 100,000 volunteers a year to pick up litter, clean up illegal dumping and beautify Pennsylvania.
[Posted: September 28, 2021] PA Environment Digest
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