A northwest Iowa man could be facing a hefty fine after he was caught on camera dumping a truckload of trash into a river.
An unidentified man snapped the photo and posted it on www.iowasportsman.com – drawing dozens of angry responses.
The picture eventually caught the attention of Ken Hessenius at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources field office in Spencer.
He said the photo and a visit to the dump site revealed the man discarded mostly wire and boards into the river from a flatbed truck.
The man was later identified as 76-year-old Joe Linn of Correctionville. D.N.R. officials met with Linn, who agreed to remove the materials from the Little Sioux River.
“Unfortunately, this kind of activity happens all too often,” Hessenius said. “It’s just a rare case when you get one that’s either videotaped or photographed in the act. That’s what make this case so unusual, but it’s not unlike probably thousands of other cases per year in Iowa that go unnoticed.”
Dumping materials into rivers is prohibited by state law. It’s unclear what penalties Linn might face. “We’re in the process of the investigation and once we gather the facts and have some discussions, that’s part of what we’re going to be considering – what violations occurred and what would be the appropriate penalties for those given violations,” Hessenius said.
You can check out the photo here.