A trash collector in Georgia got the shock of his life after being arrested and sentenced to 30 days in jail for collecting trash too early in violation of a city ordinance.
Waste Management Inc. trash collector Kevin McGill showed up to work two hours early and began his collections at around 5AM. But a Sandy Springs, Georgia city ordinance states that trash collection cannot begin before 7AM.
It wasn’t long before local police came calling on McGill and his noise-making truck. The trash man was brought into the station and booked for violating the noise ordinance.
Sandy Springs prosecutor Bill Riley wasn’t disposed to cut the worker any breaks, either. McGill ended up sentenced to 30 days in jail. The prosecutor said that he wanted to send a message.
“We look for the minimum punishment what will deter the crime,” Riley said. “We tried forever not to put anyone in jail for these cases, but it wasn’t working.”
City officials also said that local residents are very protective of their quality of life, and early morning noise is something that the city has been working hard to eliminate.
McGill will spend every weekend in jail for the next three months to serve out his sentence.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com