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Kain99
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A battle is being waged in St. Mary's County over outlaw all-terrain vehicles that tear up driveways and front yards, with the sheriff's office issuing criminal and civil citations to six people in the past month.
"We're aware of the problem," said Sheriff David D. Zylak (D). "We're trying to address it as best we can."
Zylak came under some criticism last week from Commissioner Larry Jarboe (R-Mechanicsville) over the issue.
The commissioner said he had received half a dozen phone calls from residents of the Ridge area in the county's southern end complaining about the ATVs and asserting that Zylak's office had been unresponsive to their plight.
Jarboe said the offenders are riding the untagged vehicles down the public right of way out of Lexington Park, along the road shoulders and onto people's property, where they spin their wheels and leave "a mess." He said they were adults wearing helmets that concealed their faces.
Jarboe pointed to the large police presence at two weekend motorcycle events, the "blessing of the bikes" at the county fairgrounds and at Cryer's Backroad Inn, near Compton. He suggested a similar presence around Ridge could solve the ATV problem.
"I'm damned if I do, damned if I don't," Zylak said, adding that he had received complaints from just one property owner and not recently.
He said the alleged offenders have been cited for operating an unregistered vehicle on a public right of way, a civil offense punishable by a fine of about $45, and driving on private property without the owner's permission, a crime punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $500 fine. He said the cases had not been adjudicated.
Zylak also defended the police presence at the two motorcycle events. The sponsors of the larger event, at the fairgrounds, "came to us specifically and asked for security," he said. The event drew about 4,000 bikes and 5,000 people, he said.
On hand to keep the peace at both events were a total of 60 officers, he said, including Maryland State Police and an Emergency Services Team from Calvert County. Zylak, defending the show of force, said motorcyclists coming together can "have the best intentions," but if tempers flare, "it can get dicey."
ATVs, he said, have caused problems in various parts of the county for years. "They're not meant to be on the highways," Zylak said, and when they barrel into the woods they can be hard to catch. "If they run from you, they can go places a police car can't, into the woods."
"We're aware of the problem," said Sheriff David D. Zylak (D). "We're trying to address it as best we can."
Zylak came under some criticism last week from Commissioner Larry Jarboe (R-Mechanicsville) over the issue.
The commissioner said he had received half a dozen phone calls from residents of the Ridge area in the county's southern end complaining about the ATVs and asserting that Zylak's office had been unresponsive to their plight.
Jarboe said the offenders are riding the untagged vehicles down the public right of way out of Lexington Park, along the road shoulders and onto people's property, where they spin their wheels and leave "a mess." He said they were adults wearing helmets that concealed their faces.
Jarboe pointed to the large police presence at two weekend motorcycle events, the "blessing of the bikes" at the county fairgrounds and at Cryer's Backroad Inn, near Compton. He suggested a similar presence around Ridge could solve the ATV problem.
"I'm damned if I do, damned if I don't," Zylak said, adding that he had received complaints from just one property owner and not recently.
He said the alleged offenders have been cited for operating an unregistered vehicle on a public right of way, a civil offense punishable by a fine of about $45, and driving on private property without the owner's permission, a crime punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $500 fine. He said the cases had not been adjudicated.
Zylak also defended the police presence at the two motorcycle events. The sponsors of the larger event, at the fairgrounds, "came to us specifically and asked for security," he said. The event drew about 4,000 bikes and 5,000 people, he said.
On hand to keep the peace at both events were a total of 60 officers, he said, including Maryland State Police and an Emergency Services Team from Calvert County. Zylak, defending the show of force, said motorcyclists coming together can "have the best intentions," but if tempers flare, "it can get dicey."
ATVs, he said, have caused problems in various parts of the county for years. "They're not meant to be on the highways," Zylak said, and when they barrel into the woods they can be hard to catch. "If they run from you, they can go places a police car can't, into the woods."
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