LEON COUNTY, Texas (KRHD) — Leon County officials caught illegal dumpers in less than a day after neighbors shared video evidence on social media, highlighting the power of community vigilance in fighting environmental crimes.
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Leon County employees discovered a massive mess at the Precinct 4 dump site in Marquez on Tuesday, Jan. 13. Someone had unloaded entire trailers full of trash along the fence outside the facility, creating an unsightly pile of debris.
"I think it's a shame that there's people that take advantage of it and just dump it on the side of the road," said Tex Payne, a Leon County resident.
The illegal dumping might have gone unnoticed for longer, but a resident filmed the scene and posted it on Facebook. The video quickly spread across social media, generating tips from community members.
"There was a resident that pulled up and started filming all of it and put it on Facebook," said TJ Foley, Leon County Commissioner for Precinct 4.
The social media post led to a flood of helpful information from neighbors who had witnessed suspicious activity.
"We started getting some people calling saying, hey, I saw this type of vehicle pulling this type of trailer and he was going this direction so, little things went together," Foley said.
Investigators followed the digital trail from social media to surveillance video, eventually finding a witness who saw the dumping happen.
"Somebody emptied a house. That's what it looked like to me," Payne said.
Instead of sticking taxpayers with the cleanup bill, county leaders made the illegal dumpers clean up the mess themselves. However, officials warn that illegal dumping creates more problems than just an eyesore.
"It's very unsightly to have trash dumped here out of business hours. It's not good," Foley said.
The practice threatens the future of free dump sites in Leon County.
"If the mess keeps continuing just like we had here last week, the county will no longer be able to offer these services. There just won't be enough money to pass around to be able to haul trash off," Foley said.
That's why community members like Payne feel personally invested in keeping their area clean.
"When they come by here and see something like this that it's a reflection on us and I don't like it and I'm sure my neighbors don't either," Payne said.
Officials encourage residents to report illegal dumping by contacting the Leon County Sheriff's Office or county commissioners.
"Contact us, the sheriff's office. Let us decide what we can and can't do. With all the citizens help we can keep Leon County looking beautiful," Foley said.
Anyone who witnesses illegal dumping can call the Leon County Sheriff's Office at 903-536-2749.
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