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County seeks $342K in fines

Marion County has requested a court order imposing 11 months worth of daily fines against a Scotts Mills man accused of failing to remove multiple junk cars from his property.

On June 15, the county requested an injunction authorizing fines of $1,000 per day against Adam Jones due to “multiple inoperable/dismantled vehicles” on Jones’ property on Abiqua Road NE.

The county said violations were first observed July 8, 2021, and daily fines from that date on totaled $342,000 as of June 15. According to the Marion County Assessor’s Office, this is $80,000 more than the two-acre property in question is worth.

The county claims Jones is in violation of an ordinance prohibiting landowners from accumulating “inoperable vehicles that create offensive odors or that are unsightly, offensive, or hazardous to the health and safety of the public.” They said the sheriff’s office has received “numerous complaints” about vehicles outside Jones’ home and that deputies and code enforcement officers have confirmed these offenses and have not observed their abatement. The matter has been assigned to Judge Thomas Hart. As of press time, Jones had yet to be served with notice of the filing, and a future hearing date had yet to be scheduled.                                    

 – Stephen Floyd