ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, May 22, 1996 TAG: 9605220041
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: REDWOOD
SOURCE: TODD JACKSON STAFF WRITER
MEMO: NOTE: Shorter version ran in Metro edition.
REDWOOD RESIDENTS have had their eyes on D&T Tire owner Calvin Dale Fisher before his court date today on charges of illegal storage and dumping.
A man who keeps a pile of tires outside his Franklin County business now finds himself in a heap of trouble.
Calvin Dale Fisher, owner of D&T Tire on Virginia 40, will be tried on a state public nuisance charge today for storing too many tires outside his business. He will also be arraigned this morning on charges that he dumped tires illegally at a site a few miles down the road.
Residents of Redwood, a tidy community about two miles east of Rocky Mount, say Fisher hasn't been a good neighbor over the past few years.
He was convicted of violating the county's nuisance ordinance in 1993 and ordered by a judge to cover up the tires.
County Attorney Jim Jefferson later sent a letter to the judge stating that Fisher was in compliance, said Cliff Hapgood, the county's commonwealth's attorney.
Betty Smith, a Redwood resident who's been keeping an eye on D&T Tire for several years, said the tires were covered up for awhile with a tarpaulin, but rain and wind caused it to sag and drop off.
The tire pile has since become a habitat for mosquitoes and rats, Smith said.
She and some of her neighbors will face off against Fisher today in court.
"More and more tires have been brought in," Smith said. "I've got pictures."
Residents of Redwood say the tires are an eyesore and a health risk because of the bugs and rats.
Smith, who helped start a recent petition drive to bring attention to the situation, lives just a few houses from the tire shop.
She said people use the tire pile as a reference point when giving directions to Smith Mountain Lake.
"It's becoming a landmark," she said. "It's a headache - and a heartache - for this community."
Using tips from residents, the Franklin County Sheriff's Office investigated the dump site, which is in Glade Hill, minutes from the tire shop. Fisher and his wife have each been charged with four misdemeanor counts of illegal dumping, Hapgood said.
The state Department of Environmental Quality is also monitoring another site where tires have been dumped near D&T Tire, Hapgood said.
Fisher - who sells the used tires - couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday.
He's not likely to face jail time on the state nuisance charge, which will be tried as a civil case, Hapgood said. But the Fishers could face incarceration on the illegal-dumping charges.
"That's not my intention here," Hapgood said. "I just want to get things cleaned up."
LENGTH: Medium: 61 linesby CNB