Trucker Accused of Intentionally Dumping Aviation Fuel in Moundville

A truck driver from Daphne, Alabama, allegedly dumped about 2,000 gallons of aviation fuel across several miles of roadway and farmland Thursday, leading to his arrest and a dangerous HAZMAT situation.

According to court documents filed Friday and obtained by the Tuscaloosa Thread, 58-year-old Alphonso Terry, Jr. drove a tanker truck loaded with highly flammable aviation fuel to a local depot where he was turned away because they could not add new fuel on top of the existing load he was already carrying.

Police say Terry left the depot and drove along Johnson Street, Powers Loop Road and County Road 21, where he intentionally and illegally dumped the fuel he was carrying rather than drive to Meridian, Mississippi, to get rid of it legally.

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The story was first reported on Facebook by the Moundville Times.

Many regional agencies, including some from Tuscaloosa and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, responded to the HAZMAT situation to help mitigate the spill.

Terry, 58, was arrested and charged with five counts of Class A misdemeanor reckless endangerment and a single count of first-degree criminal mischief, a Class C felony.

Moundville Police Chief Toby Banks told the Times that additional state and federal charges may follow.

For more coverage of news in west Alabama, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.

Editor's note: the featured image for this story is a stock photo of a fuel tanker, not a shot of the truck accused of dumping fuel in Moundville Thursday.