June 7, 2006

A cooperative effort between the Department of Environmental Quality and state, county, and local law enforcement has led to the sentencing of a Howard City man in connection with illegally dumping scrap tires in the West Michigan area. Larry Bock pled guilty in the 64B District Court in Montcalm County to a felony charge of Larceny-False Pretenses and to the dumping of scrap tires. Mr. Bock was sentenced on May 18, 2006, to six months in jail and five years probation and was ordered to pay $35,113.91 in restitution, fines, and costs and serve 100 hours of community service.

“Illegally dumped scrap tires pose threats to the environment, public health, and the well-being of a community,” said DEQ Director Steven E. Chester. “We must ensure that those who would put our state at risk are held accountable for their actions.”

The investigation, under the lead of the Lakeview Post of the Michigan State Police, began following multiple complaints of tire dumping in a five-county area. Surveillance was conducted using the pooled resources of the law enforcement agencies involved, and on January 27, 2006, three suspects were stopped and arrested in Lake County and charged with illegally dumping scrap tires.

Further investigation revealed that the owner of the business, Mr. Bock, had legally collected over 25,000 scrap tires under a valid scrap tire hauler registration, but according to records had only disposed of 4,700 of those tires through legal means. A large percentage of the remaining tires were being illegally dumped along the roadside.

Mr. Bock received over $44,000 from tire retailers and others using his services, under the false pretense that they were being disposed of in a legal manner.

Scrap tires can serve as a breeding ground for mosquitoes, largely because of the standing rain water and snow melt that collects in whole tires. These mosquitoes can carry and transmit numerous diseases, including West Nile Virus.

Editor’s note: DEQ news releases are available on the department’s Internet home page at www.michigan.gov/deq.

“Protecting Michigan’s Environment, Ensuring Michigan’s Future”

Revised June 7, 2006 by Pat Watson