Lafayette Man Charged After 106 Tires Dumped on Lajaunie Road

LAFAYETTE, La. — A Lafayette Parish man is facing a gross littering charge after deputies say he dumped more than 100 tires along Lajaunie Road Wednesday night, according to the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office.

An LPSO deputy driving to work Thursday morning spotted the tires along the roadway and reported the dumping to the Real Time Crime Center, the agency’s tech-driven investigative unit. RTCC agents pulled together enough information to identify the vehicle involved, and patrol deputies tracked down the truck and trailer within hours. The suspect was in custody before lunch.

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Who Was Arrested

Nolan Bonnett, 65, was booked into the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center on a gross littering charge the same day the tires were found.

Credit: Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office

A designated Parish Proud inmate work crew, supervised by LPSO deputies, headed to the site and hauled off all 106 tires. They’ll be transported for proper disposal.

A Familiar Trouble Spot for Illegal Dumping

Lajaunie Road, near Alexander Drive and Teurlings Drive in Upper Lafayette, has been a trouble spot for illegal dumping for years. LPSO deputies have run cleanup efforts along the corridor since 2021 as part of the Clean and Beautiful Acadiana initiative, a partnership with Parish Proud and Acadiana Waste Services. LPSO Staff Sgt. Chris Cormier has said the sheriff’s office collects roughly 7,000 pounds of litter parishwide every month, including televisions, mattresses, furniture and tires dumped along parish roadways.

What Gross Littering Charges Carry Under Louisiana Law

Gross littering is defined and penalized under Louisiana Revised Statute 30:2531.1. A first conviction carries a $900 fine and 16 hours of community service in a litter abatement work program, along with the possibility of up to 30 days in jail. When the offense specifically involves the disposal of tires, as in Bonnett’s case, state law adds a separate $1,800 fine on top of standard penalties, plus responsibility for the cost of removing, transporting and processing the tires. Penalties climb sharply for repeat convictions.

What Residents Can Do

LPSO and Parish Proud encourage residents to report illegal dumping through Lafayette Consolidated Government’s 311 service or directly to Parish Proud, which coordinates litter pickup through the sheriff’s inmate work crews. Anyone with information related to illegal dumping in Lafayette Parish is asked to contact LPSO.

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