’Mud running’ on county roads causes problems

With the weather warming up and the rainy season approaching, the Henry County Engineering and Road Department and local law enforcement are advising residents to forgo mud running, driving on the roads when they are muddy just for fun.

“It’s certainly a nuisance and can be a problem,” Henry County Sheriff Rich McNamee said. “Right now, there’s not really an issue, but it’s when things start to dry out and the land owners and farmers need to be using the dirt roads that the real problem arises.”

“The purpose of having dirt roads is for local and agricultural use, so when people go on those roads and tear them up, it prevents those from using it for its actual purposes,” County Engineer Jake Hotchkiss said. “When mud runners go out and cause ruts in the road, it can take a long time to dry out, and that prevents those needing the road gaining access.

“It also means the more damage caused on the dirt roads, the more time we’re out there trying to fix it instead of designating our time to roads in greater need or with higher volume of traffic.”

The county Engineering and Road Department see mudding and the problems that arise from it every year.

“We work closely with the Henry County Sheriff’s Office when it comes to mud runners,” Hotchkiss said. “When mud runners go out and tear up the roads, they’re damaging county property.”

“Despite what people may think, we don’t have to catch them in the act in order to charge them. It’s just like any other criminal complaint,” Sheriff McNamee said. “If we can gather sufficient evidence, then we can charge the mud runners with a criminal mischief complaint.”

“Our goal isn’t to catch every person that goes mudding, but rather to spread awareness of the situation,” Hotchkiss said. “It’s a nuisance and really slows down the process for everyone involved.”