It’s hard to believe that in a nation of law like our own, a person could just dump their problem on a neighbor with no repercussions, but unfortunately, this situation happens in our very county.

Even worse might be the fact that the victim in this situation has nowhere to turn, or so it seems, for help.

Madonna Headley, who lives with her family off County Road 365 in Clanton, said about 50 tires were dumped on their property in March.

Though she doesn’t know where the tires came from, Headley assumes there is some connection to businesses that offer cash to anyone willing to come pick up scrap tires. Once someone has the scrap tires and their money, what they do with the tires is up to them. It’s not a stretch to see how such tires could end up on someone’s private property, dumped far away from any main road, somewhere they aren’t likely to be found.

“Whoever did this might have thought no one would notice the tires, but this is someone’s property,” Headley said. “It is just frustrating because whoever did this thought they could get away with it, and it has created a big problem for us,” Headley said. “The tires pose a health risk because they collect water which leads to mosquitoes and snakes, and not to mention the fact that we will have to find a way to get rid of them.”

Headley called the county courthouse, but neither the sheriff’s office nor the county litter agent have the capability or the jurisdiction to do anything about the tires once they’ve been dumped.

Headley was told to contact the Alabama Department of Environmental Management. In fact, the ADEM site lists several similar complaints filed by Chilton County residents the past few years.

We hope the state is able to help, but even if so, Headley and her family have had to spend their time seeking relief from something that never should have been an issue.

The only solution to such a problem seems to be a little more responsibility, maturity and common decency.