Pulaski County sheriff’s deputies arrested a man earlier this month suspected of dumping more than 1,000 tires in Wrightsville.
Deputies arrested Larry Calmes Jr., 59, on a warrant March 7 in connection with tires piled up on Grays Lane. He was charged with illegal disposal of solid waste, a misdemeanor.
Deputies had met with Wrightsville Mayor McKinzie Riley,cq BS Code Enforcement Office Kendrick Campbell and Fire Chief Art Willis on Dec. 15 about Calmes, according to the arrest report. Riley told officers that he stopped Calmes on Grays Lane and told him he had until Jan. 1 to get the tires off his property.
The next step in the case is a plea and arraignment.
It was not the first time officers have arrested Calmes on charges related to illegal dumping of tires.
Pulaski County sheriff’s deputies arrested Calmes on Jan. 8, 2016, on suspicion of illegally dumping tires on property on Pitts Road in the county’s unincorporated area. That property had tens of thousands of tires catch fire in October 2015, causing volunteer fire departments and crews from city, county and state agencies to fight the blaze for several hours.
Deputies found Calmes dumping tires from his truck into a pile, according to the arrest report. A deputy estimated more than 1,000 tires on the property. The case is still open.
The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality also has an ongoing civil case against Calmes and his father, who owns the Pitts Road property, over tire dumping there. Calmes has ongoing cases in Little Rock Environmental Court over trash on his Little Rock property.
The department’s latest inspection of the Pitts Road site — July 28 — estimated 5,000 to 10,000 tires on the property.