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 Mud Boggers could face hefty fines for damage to county roads web posted January 31, 2008 COUNTY – With Edgefield County being largely a rural county some people take advantage of wet road conditions to try out the power of their four-wheel drive trucks by repeatedly traveling up and down some area dirt roads leaving serious damage in their wake. However, with the county trying to tighten road maintenance costs to dirt roads, those doing the damage may end up facing hefty bills for their extracurricular activities. County Administrator John Pettigrew said the county is looking into charging those responsible for the repairs. “I absolutely believe we should press charges,” Pettigrew said Wednesday. The hard part, he said, was being able to catch those responsible in the act. “I don’t know if you have to see them doing it or just catch them coming out.” Mr. Pettigrew said he has been in touch with Guy Mueller with the Building and Planning Department over one recent incident on Grandpa Road Saturday, January 19. Mr. Mueller said he received information about the complaint after a Sheriff’s Incident Report was filed by the South Carolina Department of Transportation. A SCDOT worker, staffing a location during the winter weather advisory that weekend, spotted large amounts of mud coming from Grandpa Road onto Highway 23 creating a traffic hazard and reported it to the Sheriff’s Office just before midnight. The South Carolina Highway Patrol, Sheriff’s Deputies, and SCDOT workers identified five drivers leaving the scene and arrested one. The five drivers; Duane L. Cox, 39 of North Augusta, Carlos K. Stevens, 31, and Joseph P. Cato, 30, both of Edgefield, and Donald Jason Rodgers, 33, of Saluda were all charged with putting a foreign substance on the roadway by ticket. Mr. Rodgers was arrested for disorderly conduct and transported to the Edgefield County Detention Center after being “extremely hostile” and using “vulgar language” towards the officers, the incident report states. “This is the first time we know who it is,” Mr. Mueller said adding that he contacted Mr. Pettigrew in an effort to see if the county would move forward with additional charges. Mr. Mueller said the average cost of one man operating a motor grader is between $125 and $175 per hour. With several hours required to repair the roads, sand and gravel being used from C-Funds being extra, the cost could reach to over $1,000 per incident depending on the length of the road and the extent of the damage. Edgefield County Sheriff Adell Dobey said the county has the ability to bring the additional charges. “There is a state statute we can charge them with,” Sheriff Dobey said, destruction of public property. It would be up to the county to file the charges in order for the Sheriff’s Office to act beyond the initial charges filed on the scene. Mr. Pettigrew said that perhaps charging those responsible might curtail others from considering going “mud bogging” on county roads. Sheriff Dobey agreed. The frequency of mud bogging on roads extends beyond the Grandpa Road location Mr. Mueller said. Scupin Road in Merriwether is also a road that is often reported left impassable after similar activity as well as others. Mr. Mueller said he has received reports that some people will “trailer in” an off road truck just to ride up and down a particular road. Some of the damage is also caused by people on 4X4 ATV’s. It is the intentional destruction of the roads, some areas as long as two miles at a time, that could move the charge from a misdemeanor to a felony if the cost of repairs goes beyond $1,000. “I think we ought to charge them,” Mr. Mueller said. Administrator Pettigrew said the best way to catch those responsible is for people living in the areas, or those that use the roads for legitimate travel, to report the activity to the Sheriff’s Office when it is happening. Deputies responding to the scene will identify those responsible and make that information available to the county to peruse further charges if desired. ©
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