Two men are behind bars after a Rockdale County deputy caught them dumping tires from a U-Haul parked along Ga. 20, according to the sheriff’s office.
Cpl. Clifford Garrett was traveling north toward Walton County just before 5 a.m. Sunday when he noticed a man in dark clothing standing on the side of the road, sheriff’s office spokeswoman Yolande Lovingood-Moore said.
Garrett, who assumed the truck had broken down, turned around to help, but the men scattered into some nearby woods, Lovingood-Moore said, adding that dozens of tires were strewn near the highway with the 26-foot U-Haul still about three-quarters full.
The men, identified as Rhondell Metoyer of New Orleans and Trailveontay Pickens of Riverdale, were arrested a short time later with the help of Conyers police.
Authorities say Metoyer was wanted out of Union City and Pickens had a warrant issued in Clayton County.
“We take pride in our community and have zero tolerance for this type of nonsense,” Rockdale Sheriff Eric Levett said.
In July, another man was arrested on unlawful dumping charges after Rockdale deputies discovered hundreds of tires had been discarded along a 2-mile stretch of Klondike Road.
And it doesn’t stop there.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Villa Rica Police Department said in a Facebook post that prison work crews collected more than 125 tires that were illegally dumped in that city, urging residents to call 911 if they see anything suspicious.
And last week, the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office announced investigators were searching for a man accused of dumping more than 100,000 tires at locations across metro Atlanta.
Donald Deon Leverette was placed on Clayton’s list of 10 most wanted fugitives. Named a “serial tire dumper” by law enforcement, Leverette first became wanted by Union City police last March after allegedly dumping 1,000 tires behind a subdivision, AJC.com reported.
RELATED: Man placed on Clayton's most wanted list for allegedly being 'serial' tire dumper
Metoyer and Pickens, both 23, are charged with criminal trespassing, dumping biomedical or hazardous waste and loitering and prowling, jail records show. They were denied bond at their first appearance hearings and remain behind bars in the Rockdale County jail.
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