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Man pleas in waste dumping
Published Thursday, October 30, 2008
FERGUS FALLS, Minn. – A Pelican Rapids, Minn., man has filed a guilty plea in a case involving the dumping of raw sewage in a restaurant parking lot.
Jason Scott Tester, 39, was charged earlier this fall in Otter Tail County District Court with failure to carry vehicle insurance, failure to carry proof of insurance, public nuisance and improper sewage disposal.
The charges stemmed from an incident Labor Day weekend, when raw sewage was dumped in the parking lot of the Zorbaz restaurant on Pelican Lake. A witness told police he saw Tester near a motor home that was the suspected source of the waste, court documents state.
Tester pleaded guilty in a written petition to two charges: public nuisance and failure to carry proof of insurance. A sentencing hearing is set for Dec. 15.
Comments
The Daily Journal is happy to host community conversations about news and life in Fergus Falls and the surrounding area. As hosts, we expect guests will show respect for each other. That means we don't threaten or defame each other, and we keep conversations free of personal attacks. Witty is great. Abusive is not. If you think a post violates these standards, don't escalate the situation. Instead, flag the comment to alert us. We'll take action if necessary. It's not hard. This should be a place where people want to read and contribute -- a place for spirited exchanges of opinion. So those who persist with racist, defamatory or abusive postings risk losing the privilege to post at all.Posted by notcominghome (anonymous) on October 30, 2008 at 12:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
How dumb would you have to be? Hope he pays well for this one.
Posted by currentresident (anonymous) on October 30, 2008 at 1:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I think you have to have a little compassion here, as this person sounds like he has mental issues. Sometimes helping people like this goes a long way rather than 'paying well' which will just push him over the edge the next time. Hopefully he can get the medical help he needs to treat the problem.
Posted by bottlebob (anonymous) on October 30, 2008 at 2:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Just curious....
What in this article, makes it sound like he has mental issues? Unfortunately, I know of several "normal" people who are just uncaring enough and cheap enough, not to want to dump sewage the correct and legal way.
Posted by currentresident (anonymous) on October 30, 2008 at 2:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Sometimes curious readers need to 'read' between the lines. Clearly this person is having a tough go of it with all the other charges. Would a stable person be dumping a chemical toilet in the parking lot of a restaurant with many onlookers? I think not. No stable person would do this. My point was that we need to see how we can help this person rather than sending him down the river.
Posted by bottlebob (anonymous) on October 30, 2008 at 2:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
....And sometimes other readers should take things at face value, and rather than "read between the lines". I'm not arguing that this person isn't having a tough time of it. But yes, there are people who would dump their sewage in such a way if they thought they could get away with it. The article said there was "a witness" not "many onlookers".
Oh, and he'll more than likely only get a fine for this,(which he rightfully should), it's not like he'll be sent to prison (or down the river).
Posted by currentresident (anonymous) on October 30, 2008 at 3:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
You have made a great point.
Posted by classof76 (anonymous) on October 31, 2008 at 9:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I think they should throw the book at him and they certainly should not have done a plea agreement! Why have laws??We are talking RAW SEWAGE in a resturant parking lot very near a lake! This is grossly unsanitary to say the least. I am surprised the MPCA didn't get involved here. Notice the court dropped the most important charge--improper sewage disposal! I think this sounds more like retaliation against the restaurant than just being lazy. Would be interesting to know the rest of the circumstances around this. I can't imagine anyone sober doing such a thing. People who are too cheap to pay sewage dumping fees would go out in the woods somewhere you would think--also there is all kinds of free dumping stations around, just to avoid improper sewage disposal. I say he is getting off way too easy.
Posted by akmscott (anonymous) on October 31, 2008 at 11:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This country is going under from caring and understanding for people who are not caring and understanding.Do the crime-do the time!
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