Officials: What stalled dumping probe

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Anne Arundel County officials are asking why it has taken more than a year to investigate a Baltimore City judge who illegally dumped cinder blocks and rebar into the Patapsco River at his Pasadena property.

County inspectors said District Court Judge Askew Gatewood Jr. dumped the material last year around his property at 8410 Bay Road, which is a peninsula jutting out into the Patapsco River, without the proper county or state permits.

“The fact that this violator is a prominent personage creates the unfortunate impression that he is receiving special treatment,” County Executive John R. Leopold said in a letter last week to Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler. “Judge Gatewood has done irreparable harm to the waters of the Patapsco River and the Chesapeake Bay and deserves to be punished.”

According to county officials, the material included concrete, toilet fixtures and drywall, and amounted to about 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 Oct. 13, but seven days later, inspectors found evidence of more dumping, Reynolds said.

The county turned over the case to the state Attorney General’s Office in October 2006. Though Leopold said Wednesday that Gansler told him he would look into the matter, Gansler spokeswoman Raquel Guillory said there would be 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,” Guillory said.

Leopold said he was concerned that the statute of limitations has expired. Guillory said she could not comment on that issue.

“In general there are discussions that take place behind closed doors … that don't come to resolution overnight,” she said.

No one answered at Gatewood's listed phone number in Baltimore City. It is unclear if dumping continued after October 2006.

The Maryland Department of the Environment is working on 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. Ballinger also said there is no statute of limitations on the corrective order, which is separate from any criminal charges Gansler’s office may or may not issue.

jflanagan@baltimoreexaminer.com

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