The Sheriff’s Soap Box

This section of the Newspaper is brought to you by Sheriff “Jake” Kopec as to raise awareness of the West Virginia State Law and to educate the public in laws that are set forth by legislation. This month I would like to discuss littering. Littering in the W.V. code encompasses a broad spectrum ranging from throwing a wrapper on the ground which could be a ticket to dumping trash into a waterway which could be a $3,000 to $5,500 fine to simply throwing a cigarette but or trash from a motor vehicle. Most of the litter penalties and explanation can be found in WV code section 22-15A-1 through 29. Some of the more common problems faced in Tucker County is situations where residents or non-residents throw out a truck load of trash over an embankment in which usually generates a criminal investigation for the DNR. One way to prevent this is to utilize free dump day at the local landfill in Thomas which is the first Thursday of every month. Most of the municipalities have programs to help citizens for a low cost to tackle junk or extra trash issues. It’s our duty as citizens to make a better and cleaner tomorrow for the generations to come and we can do this by keeping West Virginia clean. Always remember littering is a trashy thing to do.