Illegal dumping in Houston: 24 Hour Tire Connection owner Jamil Shawn Smith is accused of dumping solid waste on a nearby plot

Houston, Texas (KTRK) – The Houston tire shop owner, known to city authorities for dumping scrap tires illegally, is accused of doing so twice more, including once captured on hidden cameras by the Environmental Crimes Task Force.

Only ABC13 He obtained footage of the November 5, 2022 accident allegedly driven by Jameel Shawn Smith. In the video, three individuals in a flatbed wrecker truck loaded with tires tow a lot on the 3400 block in Jensen.

The person behind the wheel is believed to be Smith, who was charged Jan. 17 with a felony count of unlawful dumping for commercial purposes. Two other men are then seen on the scanner slamming the truck’s tires. According to shipping documents, the group completed the contract, which included dumping about 100 tyres.

Records also claim that Smith, who is identified as the owner of the 24 Hour Tire Connection at 2813 Collingsworth St. , he may have done the same on November 13, when cameras caught the same flatbed truck entering Jensen’s area laden with tires and later left without them.

Only half a mile separates his store from the unauthorized landfill.

Documentation indicates that more than 200 pounds of tires are discarded during each unloading.

As of Monday afternoon, Smith, 48, was being held in the Harris County Jail. If convicted of a third-degree felony, he faces between two and 20 years in prison.

Duplicate dump truck

Smith’s criminal record includes a conviction in 2019 in connection with a first-degree illegal dumping case involving 22 frames.

His most recent criminal complaint for the November 2022 dumping incidents also cites his history with the director of the City of Houston’s scrap tire program, who identified Smith on hidden camera video.

Last April, Smith was charged with felonious possession of a number of weapons.

The authorities’ hidden weapon against illegal dumping

Investigators may not have connected Smith to the most recent dumping incidents without cameras that could not be identified by the fraudsters in the act.

These cameras come from the Environmental Crimes Unit within Harris County Sheriff’s Office 1 Alan Rosen. The cop notes that about 150 hidden cameras have been placed in locations his people describe as “chronic”, including Jensen’s empty lot where Smith is believed to have committed his actions.

“We’re going to continue to do that, to be a fighter against people who do this kind of criminal activity, because it goes to the quality of life in these neighborhoods. People don’t deserve it, and I’m sick of it too,” Rosen said, adding that his office is working with the city to catch criminals.

According to the District One Police Office, 276 illegal dumping investigations were conducted countywide in 2022, resulting in 116 charges. About 30 active investigations.

The majority of their investigations derive from tips from the public, according to Rosen.

Anyone wishing to tip about illegal dumping can call the District One Information Line at 832-927-1567.

“Every day citizens who see anyone dumping trash illegally call us or the City of Houston 311, and we work together to solve this problem,” Rosen said. “We want people to call us, we want people to give us tips. You can do that anonymously by calling an illegal dumpline or ‘crime stoppers,’ so there are a lot of different ways you can report.”

SEE ALSO: Price of Illegal Dumping Soaring in Houston: Now at $4,000

Harris County authorities said the man caught throwing tires illegally is a repeat offence

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