Garbage man sent to jail for picking up trash too early in sandy springs (Atlanta: 2015, attorney)

[ehoez]

A Sandy Springs sanitation worker said he was taken to jail for picking up trash too early in the morning, a violation of the Georgia city’s ordinance.

Kevin McGill will spend the next 14 weekends in jail because he picked up trash minutes after 5 a.m. one morning—an offense worthy of automatic jail time, according to the city solicitor.

Chief prosecutor Bill Riley said picking up waste too early in the morning has been a recurring problem no matter what approach is taken to limit the issue. He asked the judge to sentence McGill to 30 days in jail.

Riley told WSB-TV he’s exhausted all other options.

“Fines don’t seem to work,” Riley said. “The only thing that seems to stop the activity is actually going to jail.”

Riley says 911 lights up when trash haulers come before 7 a.m.

McGill, who didn’t have an attorney with him when he was sentenced, is serving his time on the weekend. His new attorney wonders why he’s being punished.

“Give him a warning,” attorney Kimberly Bandoh said. “I mean he’s the employee. He’s not the employer. Sentencing him to jail is doing what?”

McGill opted to serve his time on the weekends, spreading the sentence out over more than three months. McGill said he just wants to get back with his wife, two sons and four dogs.




Garbage man sent to jail for picking up trash too early | Atlanta

[atler8]

Just wow! This news has gone viral nationally thus making Sandy Springs & metro Atlanta & Georgia look ridiculous by extension & deservedly so.
Yes, a 5 am trash pickup is too early but as noted here, "...he's the employee. He's not the employer. Sentencing him to jail is doing what?"

[golden eagles fan]

Why not punish his employer?

[Mattie]

I saw this last night, and thought I was reading an Onion article.

I would suggest this man begin picking up trash on the chief prosecutor's street, very, very slowly at about the time he's trying to get out of his driveway to head to work.

[sedimenjerry]

How does he have access to the truck that early? I imagine he would have to pick up a truck at a specific site. I drive past a WM plant off Beaver Ruin and one week that I drove past it every morning I would get stuck behind them as they turned out of the lot to run their routes. If that's the case then why can't the employer just make sure the trucks aren't available to be taken that early.

[brownhornet]

Pathetic

[flyonpa]

Originally Posted by sedimenjerry

How does he have access to the truck that early? I imagine he would have to pick up a truck at a specific site. I drive past a WM plant off Beaver Ruin and one week that I drove past it every morning I would get stuck behind them as they turned out of the lot to run their routes. If that's the case then why can't the employer just make sure the trucks aren't available to be taken that early.

Most hauler like to do two cycles a "Day" on there trucks. A early morning one (Normally that's business and commercial routes) Up to the transfer station or the dump when it opens, then a 2nd route residential, then if they time it right, A unload at the transfer station right before it closes for the day.

But to the driver, and put him in jail. It should be his boss, or his boss'es boss.

That would change things. But the laws don't work that way. What would work is if they impounded the trucks for a few days. That would get the bosses to notice.

[glovenyc]

Disgraceful.

[lem1985]

this made it too twitter when it first happened and alot of sandy springs/north fulton was pissed

[AnsleyPark]

No one should go to jail for this - employee or employer. This is absurd.