GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) -- The Guilford County Sheriff's Office is fed up with illegal dumping on the side of Water Oak Road near Oak Ridge and Stokesdale.
"It ain't nothing but trouble," said Keigh Parrish. Parrish leases the land around Water Oak Road. He's tired of people dumping, stealing, and destroying the land he loves.
"I'm taking my grandkids out here and teaching them how to hunt, how to go out here and work the land and how to look after the land," said Parrish.
For more than three years people have dumped trash illegally on his land. They've also used it for hunting, destroyed parts of the road, and stolen security cameras Parrish installed.
"We did have an incident recently where somebody actually did clean out belongings in a rental house," said Capt. Daryl Loftis, with the Guilford County Sheriff's Office.
According to Solid Waste Enforcement Officer Lorelei Elkins, the county had another dumping case open in the area back in 2018. That case was resolved. Then in May, they got another call the dumping started again.
Elkins showed FOX 8 the worst of it.
Piles of trash stretch all the way down a creek bank, with tires, couches, broken down boxes, and parts of a T.V. all sitting in the stream.
"The trash is thrown down a bank and into a stream which can potentially impact local water quality, and not to mention wildlife," said Elkins.
"If this gets into a water source, we've got more than just a problem of something being illegally dumped, we have a hazardous situation," said Loftis.
The Guilford County Sheriff's Office has responded to more than half a dozen dumping calls this year.
"In the crimes we investigate it's not the greatest, but it's aggravating because somebody is doing this and putting it out there, they know they can get away with it," said Loftis.
Deputies released photos of the drivers and their vehicles they've seen dumping items on the side of the road.
"Depending on the weight, there could be felony charges that come out of that, and we are serious about bringing those that are responsible to justice," said Loftis.
Loftis is in talks to partner with the Department of Transportation. The DOT maintains the road. When items are left on the side of the road, DOT crews are called in to clear the debris.
Parrish is also looking to see if they can get the road closed off and install a gate at either end.
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