LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — A Lexington man is being charged with criminal littering after dumping a pile of downed tree limbs at the Kentucky Utilities headquarters on Monday night.
After crews worked to clear power lines and restore power to homes in the Kenwick neighborhood over the weekend, G.J. Gerard spoke out about the mess left behind in neighborhood yards.
Gerard spoke to LEX 18 on Monday and has expressed that his frustration is two-fold.
"Not just the debris that's left over that the resident's supposed to clean up, but the overcutting that causes even more mess," Gerard said.
KU spokesperson Daniel Lowry responded to Gerard's complaints on Monday, explaining that residents are responsible for the trees in their own yards.
Lowry reiterated that explanation on Thursday:
"If a tree lands on a power line during a storm, causing the lines to sag and/or break from the pole, KU will remove the trees from the line and re-string the lines. The removal of the tree debris such as branches and large limbs is the responsibility of the homeowner/tree owner. Crews aren’t able to haul away debris or use wood chippers, as this would slow down restoration efforts."
Gerard said he was dissatisfied with the response from KU, and on Monday night, he took the debris from his yard and left it in front of the KU office in downtown Lexington, alongside a sign that read:
"Dearest KU, In the spirit of fairness, here is a mess you didn't make, but I expect YOU to clean up... Sounds a little crazy, doesn't it? DO BETTER"
On Thursday, Gerard received a citation for criminal littering from the Lexington Police Department, along with a fine of $213. He shared a copy of the citation.
"I think there's a big difference between 'proud' and 'right.' Am I proud of what I did? I am not proud of what I did, but I know it was right," Gerard said on Thursday.
Gerard helped his 70-year-old neighbor clean debris off of his roof on Thursday afternoon.
He said KU should re-evaluate its policies.
"They get to write their own policies. When that's the case and we have no recourse, you just have no option other than to plead with them to please do the right thing," he said.
As for the material dumped at its office, KU said it could not comment while an investigation is underway.
