IDOT ROADKILL DISPOSAL COMPLAINT RAISED IN GREENE COUNTY

GREENE COUNTY — An Illinois Department of Transportation road maintenance practice is drawing scrutiny after a Greene County resident says he witnessed deer carcasses being dumped from a bridge near Apple Creek.

Robert Schollmeier of rural Greene County says he photographed IDOT trucks on the Belltown Bridge in the Apple Creek bottoms on February 20 appearing to dump deer carcasses over the side of the bridge. Schollmeier later posted the photos to Facebook on February 22, saying he had suspected similar activity had occurred previously and decided to document what he saw.

Schollmeier says some of the deer remains — along with a rubber glove — were visible in the water below the bridge after the incident. He says he contacted multiple agencies about the situation, including the Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois State Police, Illinois Conservation Police, and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

According to Schollmeier, the pile of remains had been removed by February 24.

IDOT officials later confirmed they were aware of the complaint and said the location had been temporarily used by maintenance crews to store roadkill before incineration due to an unusually high number of deer carcasses this spring. The department says the animals have now been removed for proper disposal and staff have been instructed not to use the location again.

The agency also issued an apology for any concern caused by the situation.

Schollmeier says he still has questions about whether any action will be taken or if the practice could simply move to another location. As of now, the other agencies he contacted have not issued public statements regarding the incident.

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