Clinton Police and Fire personnel were at the off ramp of U.S. 421 where it intersects with Sunset Avenue Wednesday morning investigating — and cleaning up — yet another truck spill on the roadway. (Photos courtesy Clinton Police Department)
Mayor, lawmakers to hammer out resolution Tuesday
Clinton Police and Fire personnel were at the off ramp of U.S. 421 where it intersects with Sunset Avenue Wednesday morning investigating — and cleaning up — yet another truck spill on the roadway. (Photos courtesy Clinton Police Department)
See editorial A4
City officials will join with the state’s agriculture commissioner and a legislative delegation next Tuesday to hammer out a resolution to a continuing issue with animal waste and sludge spewing from trucks and onto local roadways.
It is an issue that has infuriated Clinton Mayor Lew Starling for years as he has fought to have sharper enforcement teeth and stiffer penalties enacted so those responsible for the spills will think twice before allowing such environmental hazards to occur.
“I have been on the phone on and off three times today (Wednesday) with Secretary of Agriculture Steve Troxler and we’ve set up a meeting for next Tuesday with him, a legislative delegation, the police chief, the fire chief, the city manager and a lot of other folks. When we leave that meeting, I promise we are going to have a resolution to this mess, something with massive suspensions and penalties.
“Enough is enough,” the mayor attested during a phone interview Wednesday.
His words came on the heels of yet another agriculture spill onto city streets Wednesday morning at the off ramp of the U.S. 421 bypass where it intersects with Sunset Avenue.
Police Chief Anthony Davis said Thursday that Ivey’s Trucking of St. Pauls was hauling agriculture waste material for Villari Foods of Warsaw to the Sampson County landfill when the spill occurred.
According to a release from Davis’ office, as the truck was stopping for the traffic light at N.C. 24-Sunset Avenue, the material sloshed onto the highway.
Terry Allen Ivey, 42, of Fayetteville, was charged with leaving the scene of an agriculture spill, failure to secure load, littering and driving without an operator’s license.
Ivey has been charged once before with similar offenses.
Starling, alerted immediately about the spill, was furious that another incident had occurred, at least the fifth since January.
“I’m just fed up and he (Troxler) knows it. He’s fed up, too, and he told me we would get this resolved, get measures in place that will make people think twice about dumping this mess.”
Starling said Troxler had been very kind in talks about the spill problems Clinton has repeatedly experienced.
The latest incident happened just before 9:30 a.m., and Clinton Police and Fire personnel were on the scene immediately and remained there for the better part of the morning cleaning up the spill and investigating the incident.
When they arrived, Police Chief Anthony Davis noted, they found another agricultural waste spill, a thick brown liquid running aimlessly down the roadway. The truck and driver were not on the scene.
Davis said investigators were continuing to follow up all leads, including information from the public and surveillance footage, in hopes of locating the suspect.
“We are committed to holding those who litter our roadways accountable for their actions,” Davis said. “It is equally important that when these spills occur, the general public inform law enforcement through the 911 center or through our tipline in a timely manner.”
Davis said with the number of trucks hauling similar waste material through the city, “time is of an essence in locating them and holding them accountable.”
The investigation led to Ivey and the trucking company a day later.
Anyone with information on this spill, or any spill, is encouraged to contact the Clinton Police Department at 910-592-3105. Anonymous information may also be left through the Police Department’s tip line by texting 847411, beginning the message with ‘tipcdp.’