A man who once served as the Columbiana County Elections Director and is a former Mayor of East Liverpool has been charged after a police chief says he caught him dumping trash on a police officer’s property earlier this month.

John Payne, 75, of East Liverpool was issued a court summons for open dumping after Liverpool Township Police Chief Jayson Jackson says he saw Payne’s truck drive up to a neighbor’s property on Campground Road and dump three bags of old insulation.

That land belongs to a St. Clair Township Police Sergeant, according to the police report.

Chief Jackson says when he blocked Payne’s truck, which had two more trash bags inside, Payne told him that he was in a hurry to get to a family gathering and had “a lapse in judgment”.

According to the report, Payne picked up the three discarded bags and asked Chief Jackson to let the incident go.

Recognizing Payne as East Liverpool’s former Mayor, Chief Jackson told him that he should be embarrassed for dumping the trash.

The St. Clair Police officer who owned the property said he wished to pursue charges against Payne.