Man sentenced for dumping waste tires at Ohiopyle
A Fayette County man serving a prison sentence for murdering his girlfriend in 2021 received an additional six- to 12-month prison sentence Thursday for dumping a large amount of waste tires at Ohiopyle State Park.
Thomas L. Dean, 53, entered a fast-track guilty plea Thursday to misdemeanor violations of the Solid Waste Management Act, Attorney General Dave Sunday announced in a release. Dean is also ordered to pay a $2,500 fine to the Pennsylvania Solid Waste Abatement Fund.
The Office of Attorney General’s Environmental Crimes Section investigated and prosecuted the case, which involved Dean — and his nephew, Donald Dean — dumping tires at the park while working at an auto tire shop in 2018.
Park patrons noticed suspicious behavior and passed along a report to authorities, including a vehicle license plate traced to the Deans, the attorney general said.
“Our state parks are areas of peace, beauty, and leisure, and this sort of conduct violates the sanctity of those protected lands,” Sunday said in a statement. “While we recognize the defendant is already serving many years in prison for a separate crime, we feel this conviction is important in that it sends a message that illegal dumping is a serious offense.”
The prosecution followed Thomas Dean’s 2024 conviction for third-degree murder. He was sentenced to 20 to 40 years in prison for killing his girlfriend in 2021.
Following a referral from the Department of Conservation of Natural Resources, the Office of Attorney General filed charges earlier this year.
Charges were also filed against Donald Dean, who is currently a fugitive.