HARRISBURG, PA — A Fayette County man already serving a prison sentence for a 2021 homicide has pleaded guilty to illegally dumping waste tires at Ohiopyle State Park, bringing a separate environmental crimes case to a close and resulting in additional prison time.
Thomas L. Dean, 53, pleaded guilty this week to misdemeanor violations of Pennsylvania’s Solid Waste Management Act and was sentenced to an additional six to 12 months in prison, according to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office. He was also ordered to pay a $2,500 fine to the Pennsylvania Solid Waste Abatement Fund.
The case stemmed from allegations that Dean and his nephew, Donald Dean, dumped a large quantity of waste tires at Ohiopyle State Park in 2018 while employed at an auto tire shop.
State prosecutors said the investigation began after park visitors reported suspicious activity to authorities. Information provided by witnesses included a vehicle license plate that investigators traced to the Deans.
The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources later referred the matter to the Attorney General’s Environmental Crimes Section, which filed charges earlier this year.
“Our state parks are areas of peace, beauty, and leisure, and this sort of conduct violates the sanctity of those protected lands,” Attorney General Dave Sunday said in a statement.
Sunday acknowledged that Dean is already serving a lengthy prison sentence for a separate crime but said the prosecution remained important because “it sends a message that illegal dumping is a serious offense.”
According to prosecutors, the dumping occurred years before Dean’s separate criminal case involving the death of his girlfriend in 2021. Dean was convicted of third-degree murder in 2024 and is currently serving a state prison sentence for that offense.
Donald Dean has also been charged in connection with the tire dumping investigation but remains a fugitive, according to the Attorney General’s Office.
The Environmental Crimes Section investigated and prosecuted the case.
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