Help offered woman fined over dumping

Thursday, March 23, 2006 | 7:22 a.m.

A local doctor has offered to help a Las Vegas woman fight Clark County over a $1,400 fine for desert dumping that she claims was unfairly levied against her after two dead guinea pigs and a pile of dirt were found just outside her property.

Touched by a story in Wednesday's Sun about unemployed single mother of two and breast cancer patient Judy Long, Dr. Paul Wilkes offered to either pay Long's fine or contribute to a legal defense fund if she decides to contest the issue in court.

"Anytime you have an illness such as breast cancer, the level of stress to which a patient is exposed will affect their ability to recover," said Wilkes, who specializes in the treatment of high-risk pregnancies, including those of women who have had breast cancer.

Though grateful for the offer, Long said for now, she hopes to persuade the Clark County Health District to dismiss the fine.

"At this time, I'm not sure I want the Health District to benefit financially from their bad decision," said the 50-year-old Long, who worked eight years for the Health District as a restaurant inspector.

Long, whose home abuts the Flamingo Wash in a neighborhood near South Jones Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue, was accused by county health officials of dumping debris over a 6-foot concrete wall in her back yard onto county-owned land.

Long, however, maintains that the dirt pile, which contained two milk crates and a 5-gallon bucket filled with concrete chunks, likely was placed there by children who climbed it to get a good view of the more than 60 guinea pigs she has penned in her back yard. The two dead animals found by county inspectors, she says, likely were dragged from her yard by stray cats.

In a certified letter sent Wednesday to Karl Munninger, director of administration for the Health District, Long asked that the decision finding her in violation of desert dumping be set aside and the fine dropped.

"I feel this fine is completely unfair," Long wrote.

"The Solid Waste Division agrees that it is now completely cleaned up and no further corrective action is needed ... I will continually check to ensure that if anyone makes a pile like that again I will remove it promptly."