County looking to catch dirt road vandals

Dirt roads in Union County may not be traveled all too often, but for farmers and rural residents a dirt road can be the only road to access their property. When those roads are defaced or destroyed by a visiting joyrider, it becomes a serious problem.

In a board of supervisors meeting last week, which brought together representatives from Union County’s legal, law enforcement and roadwork departments, Union County will look for ways to catch and charge individuals who deface county dirt roads.

Union County Engineer Christian Boehmer, Sheriff Brian Bolton, Roads Superintendent Al Hysell and Attorney Shane O’Toole discussed the capabilities of the county to catch vandals. While no decision was made during last week’s meeting, the county will continue to look into their options.

Supervisors on the board say vandals tearing up dirt roads is one of the most common complaints they hear. Fixing these roads when they become impassible falls to the secondary roads department. With a full crew, fixing a dirt road can take half of a work day.

Catching mud-running vandals is incredibly difficult according to both Hysell and Bolton. Even when the noise of mud-running vehicles draws bystanders, plates and other identifiers are often covered in mud.

O’Toole said the process for charging someone with graffiti is similar to the dirt road destruction. The only way to catch vandals is to either catch them in the act or have enough strong witnesses identify them. Charges would begin at criminal mischief.

“Depending on the amount of damages, this could go up to a C felony,” O’Toole said. “Repaying [for damages] is a part of probation... We still have to prove someone committed a crime.”

While county supervisors were open to legislation, O’Toole said the primary problem is catching vandals. He noted how there was only one investigation where a vandal was identified, and even then the individual was never charged.

The first step in catching dirt road vandals is to find ways to monitor frequently-hit roads. Because those who vandalize dirt roads don’t often use them on a regular basis, the most frequent spots are where the entrances of dirt roads meet hard-surface roads.

Bolton and O’Toole suggested installing a form of surveillance, such as trail cameras, on these frequent spots or recommending local rural properties install Ring cameras. The meeting came to an understanding this would require community support.

This sentiment extended to discouraging vandals, usually younger individuals in their late teens or early 20s. Informing families to discourage young drivers from vandalism can stop the issue before it reaches a criminal charge.

In addition, the county recommended commuters to not traverse dirt roads unless they’re certain the vehicle can navigate effectively without damage. Even if a GPS recommends travel through a dirt road, always consider the vehicle’s capabilities first.

If vandalism is spotted on dirt roads, witnesses are recommended to take pictures and recordings of vehicles and report them to the Union County Sheriff’s Office.

In other Union County news...

Supervisor Rick Friday suggested including work permits in Hysell’s weekly maintenance activity reports. Due to permits taking extended periods of time from approval to construction, construction maps could be helpful to the board of supervisors.

Caleb Hoakison was approved to the Union County conservation board. Hoakison’s name was presented on the recommendation of Conservation Director Mike Hilger.