Attorney General Thurbert Baker and Tom Durden, District Attorney for the Atlantic Circuit, announced today that a grand jury in Liberty County has returned a multiple count felony indictment of illegal dumping against Rodger Boykin. He is accused of illegally dumping between 1.2 and 1.5 million tires in Liberty County.

Boykin is accused of having the tires transported to his business, D&R Resources, where he was supposed to have them processed for disposal. Instead, the tires accumulated on the property, and became a breeding ground for mosquitoes, as well as a general health hazard for the community. Boykin originally had a permit to store 32,000 tires at the facility, pending their processing. However, the permit had been revoked for numerous violations, including a history of non-compliance.

In announcing the indictment, Attorney General Baker stated, “Maintaining the health and welfare of our communities is a top priority for my office. We cannot tolerate illegal activity that will jeopardize the well being of our citizens. By dumping over a million tires, Mr. Boykin created a mosquito breeding ground and has shown a complete disregard for the safety of those living in Liberty County.”

Boykin was recently indicted in Long County on charges of abandoning over 40,000 scrap tires that he allowed to accumulate illegally at a business that he operated at the Long County Industrial Park. The Liberty County indictment was sought after a joint investigation by the Attorney General’s Office, the state’s Environmental Protection Division and the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division. If convicted, Boykin faces up to 29 years in prison and a $500,000.00 fine.

The September 17, 2001 indictment includes eight counts of Unlawful Transportation of Solid Waste, one count of Making a False Statement or Material Misrepresentation in a Manifest, and one count of Unlawful Storage of Solid Waste. The state has spent $600,000.00 to clean up the Liberty County site.

No trial date has been set. Lee Ann de Grazia of the Attorney General’s Office and Atlantic Circuit Chief Assistant District Attorney Steve Archer will prosecute the Liberty County case.