Cleanup has finally begun on a 70-acre lot in Fort Worth that was used as an illegal dumping site.
The cleanup at the property along Randol Mill Road near East Loop 820 comes after a Fort Worth judge found the owner liable for animal cruelty. Neighbors had noticed two abandoned donkeys on the property, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
A CBS investigation showed that the owner initially applied for an “agricultural exemption” for the property in 2017 and has paid less than $200 per year in property taxes since. The initial application claimed that horses, chickens, and goats would be on the property. Instead, the property was used to store “mountains of tires, roofing shingles, construction materials, drywall just dumping everywhere,” per CBS.
“There’s enough tires and shingles back there to light this whole place on fire,” said neighbor Ramsey Shoufi, reported CBS.
The Tarrant Appraisal District (TAD) requires a property to have been used for farming or ranching for five of the last seven years to qualify for the agricultural exemption. Following CBS’s May report, TAD revoked the agricultural exemption. The owner appealed the decision.
On Friday, a review board denied the owner’s appeal. The lot’s property taxes could now be as much as $28,000 per year.
CBS recently reported that the property has now been cleared, and the tires, shingles, and other materials have been moved into large piles. Thus far, more than 51 tons of materials have been hauled away.
According to CBS, the land belongs to the family of Raja Chaudhry, a former congressional candidate who ironically supported environmental responsibility.
The owner is now responsible for the cost of the cleanup, as well as additional property taxes, reported CBS.
The owner is appealing the judge’s decision to take the animals away based on a finding of cruelty and neglect. A court hearing on the matter is expected to take place this week, per CBS.
Chaudhry told CBS that the property is owned by his mother, who is overseas and unable to return due to health issues. According to Chaudhry, he and his brothers are trying “to address the issues with the property even though they have no legal responsibility whatsoever.”