KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Investigators have identified a man caught on camera dumping concrete down a drain at Soft Touch Car Wash last week.
John Baccala with Kansas City, Missouri, Neighborhoods and Housing Services said tips called into the 513-DUMP (3867) hotline helped track down a suspect, Melvin Jordan, who now faces an illegal dumping charge.
Jordan may be fined up to $1,000 if convicted, and could face wind up owing even more if the business owner decides to pursue additional charges or a lawsuit.
Surveillance video shows Jordan pulling his truck and concrete mixer up to a bay at Soft Touch Car Wash. In the video, he is seen spraying it down.
Soft Touch Car Wash Owner Dennis Nash said Jordan told him the mixer fell over and the concrete spilled out.
Illegal Dumping Investigator Alan Ashurst said the video doesn't quite match up with that statement.
"If you know anything about cement mixers, that'd be a pretty big safety hazard if they just fell over on you," Ashurst said.
Ashurst praised the department's hotline, which has helped solved several cases in the past with the help of tips.
"513-DUMP works," he said. "If you want it to change, you have to let us know about it."
Baccala said it is difficult to determine the extent of the damage, because “there’s no telling how far the liquefied concrete went into the drain before it hardened.”
Nash said he plans to work with Jordan to get as much of the mess cleaned up as possible. He said there's no point in being angry, because it won't change anything.
"What else can I do?" Nash said. "It doesn't do any good to get fired up, so I'm just trying to help and get it out of the way."
Nash's business has been the target of illegal dumping in the past.
He's beefing up his security systems and hoping this will be the last time he finds himself in a similar mess.
