Yard Junk Prompts Indictment

Misdemeanor Charges Could Carry Jail Time

For a decade, Mount Rainier officials tried to get Wade Dunston Jr. to clean up the tires, TV sets and other debris that littered his yard. Cited dozens of times for code violations, Dunston usually cleaned up on days he was due in court, only to fall back to his old ways, authorities said.

Yesterday, prosecutors in Prince George's County announced that Dunston and his mother, Lillie M. Dunston, who owns the property, have been indicted on misdemeanor charges of illegal dumping. The offense carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $30,000 fine.

"Enough is enough," Prince George's State's Attorney Glenn F. Ivey said. "We're at a point where we had to escalate this from a prosecutorial standpoint."

Reached by phone, Wade Dunston said he knew nothing of the indictments or the news conference about his property, in the 3600 block of Perry Street, two blocks from Mount Rainier's municipal building.

Dunston, 51, said he supplements his income as a handyman by selling scrap. "A lot of times people bring things to my yard and leave them there, and I take them to the scrap yard," he said. Authorities "know I do this for a living."

According to Mount Rainier officials, Dunston has been cited more than 50 times since 1999. Most of the time, judges dismissed the cases after Dunston cleaned up his property, said Michael Jackson, deputy city manager.

Alta Morton, a member of the City Council and resident of the same block, said the debris poses a threat to public health as a potential breeding ground for rats and stray cats and dogs.

In addition, Ivey said, the debris reduces property values and harms efforts by town officials to revitalize the neighborhood, near Route 1, a busy commercial strip.

Prosecutors said the case is the first of its kind in the county. Previously, the illegal dumping statute had been used against only businesses, they said.

After the news conference, reporters and photographers joined officials in viewing the property. In the back yard were several pieces of old lawn furniture, firewood, plastic toys and a large tarp covering firewood. On the front porch was a large trunk, a rusted item that resembled a wood-burning stove and two large tires.

Dunston said he removes copper wiring from discarded televisions and takes it to scrap yards for cash. "The economy's really hard right now," he said. "I'm just trying to make an honest living."