Sign Bandit has been Joined by More Unscrupulous Culprits
- Susan Heavilin
- Oct 7
- 3 min read
Back in May of this year, I reported about a Sign Bandit on the Loose in Bonita. The thief in question was removing signs around the Bonita-Sunnyside community. This bandit had run off with a variety of signs:
Political signs for District 1 Supervisor
Business advertising signs
BV Garden Club's Spring Bazaar event signs (13 total)
Sign for the local Sunday Farmstand
Last week I learned that the sign bandit was at it again. The Sweetwater Woman's Club is having their 3-day Bonita Holidays & Craft Show and three of their banners have gone missing. Poof! Does that make any sense to you?
Now a new culprit has appeared and is leaving things.
We've encountered this before with furniture or trash left alongside a roadway. It's aggravating and leaves others with extra work that is not their responsibility.
Local resident Tom Pocklington reported at the October SVCA meeting that someone had dumped 35 used tires—of all sizes—in the parking lot of the Bonita Orthodox Presbyterian Church, located at 5111 Central Avenue. The estimated dumping time was around midnight on Saturday.
He called a nearby tire store and they wanted $6 per tire to haul them away. They would then shred them to create padding for artificial grass for lawns and such. Do your math . . . that tire removal would cost over $200. That's a lot of money to clean up someone else's mess.
Luckily, the pastor had been contacted by a church member who agreed to remove the tires.
Mr. Pocklington drove to the Imperial Beach Sheriff Station to file a report. He was denied and told to call it in to the non-emergency number, which he did.
He has yet to receive a response.
In San Diego County, illegally dumping tires is a violation of California Penal Code § 374.3, which can lead to fines of $250-$1,000 for a first offense, with the potential for increased penalties (up to $3,000 or more) for subsequent offenses. The fine doubles if the illegal dumping involves used tires, and you may also face mandatory administrative fines and could potentially be charged with a misdemeanor, which may involve jail time. —AI Overview
This past Saturday, I came across Dumping Crime Scene #2. Several tires were neatly-stacked in rows just west of the Montessori School parking lot at 4980 Bonita Road. This was starting to be a pattern.
Here's what I saw:
Click on images to enlarge
I called Felix Felix, SVCA Chair, and told him about it since the first tire episode was reported at the SVCA meeting. After I hung up, I decided to circle back and get some photos.
Felix emailed the watershed department of the County and received the following reply:
"Thank you for bringing the matter to our attention. I have completed a Roads Service Request on your behalf, requesting tire removal. Your request confirmation number is XXX. County Roads crews may contact you to further discuss the matter of the persistent tire dumping."
Kenny Haskins, QISP
Land Use Environmental Planner II
Department of Public Works, Watershed Protection
County of San Diego, Land Use and Environment Group
Whew! How's that for a title?
So two tire-dumps in two weeks' time in close proximity of each other and Bonita Road.
Stay alert Bonita-Sunnyside! If you see a truck full of tires in Bonita-Sunnyside or especially on Bonita Road, take photos and try to get the license plate. Or better yet, follow them and take pics of them in the act!
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