24 Hour Tire Connection owner accused of illegally dumping 100 tires twice in 8 days

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Houston tire store owner, who is known to city authorities for illegally dumping scrap tires, is accused of doing it twice more, including one time that was caught on cameras hidden by an environmental crimes task force.

Only ABC13 obtained footage of a Nov. 5, 2022, incident that Jamil Sean Smith is alleged to have led. In the video, three individuals in a flatbed wrecker truck loaded with tires pull into a lot in the 3400 block of Jensen.

The person behind the wheel is believed to be Smith, who, on Jan. 17, was charged with felony illegal dumping for commercial purposes. Two other men are then seen on the flatbed tossing tires off the truck. According to charging documents, the group completes the deed, which involved about 100 tires dumped.

Records also allege that Smith, identified as the owner of 24 Hour Tire Connection at 2813 Collingsworth St., may have done the same thing on Nov. 13, when cameras picked up the same flatbed truck entering the Jensen lot loaded with tires and then later leaving without them.

Just a half-mile separates his store from the unsanctioned dump site.

The documents state that well over 200 pounds of tires were disposed of during each unloading.

As of Monday afternoon, Smith, 48, is in custody at the Harris County Jail. If convicted of the third-degree felony, he faces two to 20 years in prison.

A repeat dumper

Smith's criminal record includes a conviction in 2019 in connection with a first-offense illegal dumping case involving 22 tires.

His latest criminal complaint on the November 2022 dumping incidents also alludes to his history with the City of Houston Scrap Tire Program administrator, who recognized Smith in the hidden camera video.

Last April, Smith was charged with a felon in possession of a weapon count.

Authorities' hidden weapon against illegal dumping

Investigators may have never tied Smith to the latest dumping incidents without cameras that aren't recognizable by crooks in the act.

Those cameras come from the Environmental Crimes Unit inside Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen's office. The constable touts that about 150 hidden cameras are placed at sites that his people describe as "chronic," including the empty Jensen lot where Smith is believed to have committed his acts.

"We are going to continue to do it, to be a fighter against people who are doing this type of criminal activity, because it goes to the quality of life of these neighborhoods. People don't deserve it, and I am sick of it too," Rosen said, adding that his office works with the city to catch the criminals.

According to Precinct 1 Constable's Office, 276 illegal dumping investigations took place countywide in 2022, leading to 116 charges. About 30 investigations are active.

A majority of their investigations derive from tips from the public, according to Rosen.

Anyone who wants to submit a tip regarding illegal dumping can call Precinct 1's tip line at 832-927-1567.

"Everyday citizens who see anyone illegally dump, contacts us or the City of Houston 311, and we work together to solve this problem," Rosen said. "We want people to call, and we want people to give us tips. You can do it anonymously by calling our illegal dumping tip line or Crime Stoppers, so there are a lot of different ways you can report."

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Man caught illegally dumping tires is repeat offender, Harris County authorities say

A man whom 13 Investigates has covered for illegally dumping tires is once again accused of doing the same thing, but this time, there was a strange detail during his latest arrest.

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