Here's a crime that really stinks: Wheat Ridge Police are on the lookout for a man who poured raw sewage directly from his camper into a drain leading to a retention pond near Wheat Ridge High School. No big deal? Well, Wheat Ridge authorities say it could take six weeks and cost a quarter-million clams to flush this mess. That's shitty in a slew of different ways.
Read the complete WRPD release below -- but make sure you finish breakfast first.
Wheat Ridge Police Investigate Illegal Dumping of Raw Sewage Near the Wheat Ridge High School Retention PondWheat Ridge, Colorado - On July 1, 2009, Wheat Ridge Police received a report from the Jefferson County Public School District indicating that the Wheat Ridge High School retention pond had been contaminated with what was suspected to be human waste.
A school maintenance worker discovered the sewage on Wednesday, July 1. Surveillance video from June 25, 2009, shows a suspicious vehicle with a camper, park a few feet from the storm drain. The suspect driver then lingers in the area as if waiting for someone or something. Police suspect the driver emptied the sewage from his camper into the storm drain that leads into the retention pond.
Clean up efforts began immediately by the Jeffco Public School District. The clean up is expected to cost the District as much as $250,000, and could take up to six weeks to complete. The individual suspected of dumping the sewage could face charges of Hazardous Waste Violation, which is a class 4 felony.
"The economic impact of these cases is significant," says Sgt. Fred Bright of the Wheat Ridge Police Department. "These clean ups require the use of certified environmental contractors and the property owner is responsible for the clean up costs until or unless restitution can be obtained from the perpetrator."
Sgt. Bright goes on to say, "In a way it is fortunate that this waste ended up in the retention pond. Had the pond not been there, the waste would have flowed into a creek and potentially caused contamination downstream, which would have impacted water quality."
Anyone with information regarding the identity of the suspect pictured in the attached photos is asked to contact the Wheat Ridge Police Department at 303.237.2220.
