Following the discovery of a rat infestation at a property on Robinson Road, the owner of the property, Cartwright Salvage Company, has been issued a notice of violation by Fayette County Public Health (FCPH).

Health department staff recently received a complaint of an infestation of rats near a mobile home community in Washington C.H. During the investigation, the FCPH investigator observed rats, feral cats, buzzards, and large amounts of garbage and solid waste.

Cartwright Salvage Company was issued a violation for “operating a solid waste transfer facility without a permit of license and open dumping,” according to FCPH.

The order issued requires the property owner to remove all solid waste in and around the vicinity of the barn/building structure and take it to a licensed landfill by July 27. Failure to abide by this notice will cause this case to be forwarded to the Fayette County Prosecutor’s Office for enforcement, according to FCPH.

“A clean and safe community is one of our top priorities, “said Leigh Cannon, Deputy Health Commissioner. “FCPH and the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office are working diligently to abate the rats and monitor the location as well as enforce the order for immediate cleanup.”

In addition to FCPH and FCSO, the Ohio Environmental Protection Association (EPA) is monitoring the situation. The health department and sheriff’s office staff notified area residents and business owners via phone calls. The owner of Tower Mobile Home Park, located on Robinson Road, has also been notified.

“We appreciate everyone’s patience,” said Cannon. “Our office is available to answer questions and offer assistance to those affected if requested.”

This is not the first time Cartwright Salvage has been involved in illegal dumping.

In October 2016, the owner of the business, Loren A. Cartwright, was sentenced in the Fayette County Court of Common Pleas. He reportedly hauled municipal waste for thousands of Fayette Countians and illegally dumped it for seven years on land at Bogus Road.

Cartwright was sentenced on count one of the indictment to one year of community control, was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine to Fayette County, and was ordered to pay $84,486.69 in restitution to the State of Ohio for the benefit of the Environmental Protection Remediation Fund.

Cartwright plead guilty in July 2016 to illegal disposal of solid waste by open dumping, an unclassified felony.

In a plea deal with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, counts two and three of the indictment were dismissed for operating a solid waste facility without a license and operating a solid waste transfer facility without a license.

Cartwright Salvage, Inc. is the automobile salvage and garbage removal company located at 839 Bogus Road. He was indicted by a Fayette County grand jury after a 25-foot tall by 50-foot long pile of household garbage caught fire on Bogus Road April 21, 2015.

The fire took nearly 10 hours to extinguish.

FCPH is asking those who would like to report an issue to call the Environmental Health office at 740-333-3590.