A Baltimore City judge is under investigation for illegally dumping cinder blocks and home improvement materials into the Patapsco River from his Pasadena home.
Askew Gatewood Jr., a veteran District Court judge, was found by county inspectors in October 2006 dumping the material around his property, which is a peninsula jutting out into the Patapsco River.
According to county officials, Gatewood did not have permits to dump the material, which officials estimate to equate to 300 dump truck loads.
“The material dumped there is only approved to be in a landfill,” said Tracie Reynolds, spokeswoman for the county?s inspection and permits department. “It shouldn?t be in the critical area at all.”
Gatewood told inspectors he needed to restore shoreline lost to a tornado and Hurricane Isabel, but there was no evidence of such erosion, Reynolds said.
Gatewood was issued a stop-work order on Oct. 13, but seven days later, inspector found evidence of more dumping, Reynolds said.
The county turned over the case to the state?s attorney office in October 2006. A spokeswoman for Attorney General Doug Gansler said there would no comment on an ongoing investigation.
“If and when civil or criminal charges are filed, we?ll let the county executive and public know in an appropriate manner,” said Gansler?s spokeswoman Raquel Guillory.
No one answered at Gatewood?s listed phone number in Baltimore City. It is unclear if dumping continued after October 2006.
County Executive John R. Leopold has asked Gansler for a swift response to the matter.
“There will be no favoritism permitted by this administration and no sacred cows at the trough when it comes to protecting our air and water,” Leopold said in a press release.
The Maryland Department of the Environment is finalizing a corrective order for Gatewood to restore the damaged area. Details of the order were not available.
MDE spokesman Robert Ballinger said Gatewood has been cooperative.
