Ohio Revised Code 1503.18: Ohio DNR Forestry prohibits outdoor open burning and prescribed fires in the months of March, April & May between 6am and 6pm. This ban includes burning of yard waste, trash, and debris, even in a proper burn barrel.

NEVER to be burned at any time or any place in Ohio:

• Food waste
• Dead animals
• Materials containing rubber, grease, asphalt, or made from petroleum

Other Restrictions:

• Fires must be more than 1000 feet from neighbor’s inhabited building
• No burning when air pollution alert, warning, or emergency is in effect
• Fire/smoke cannot obscure visibility on roadway, railways, or airfields
• No waste generated off the premises may be burned
• No burning within village or city limits or restricted areas

Contact Ohio EPA: (614) 644-2270 or Ohio EPA Open Burning or fire department before starting a fire.

Warrant Phone Scams Impersonating Law Enforcement – Don’t be a Victim!

The Nelsonville Police Department wants to Warn Residents about Phone Scams Impersonating Law Enforcement.

In a growing scam reaching people across the country, phone fraudsters are using the threat of arrest warrants to pressure people into paying hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars.

The Nelsonville Police Department wants area residents to be aware that the Nelsonville Police Department has received calls about a local phone scam in which the scammers impersonate law enforcement personnel to fraudulently obtain money from innocent victims.

The scammer can also manipulate caller ID to make the number appear to come from the local law enforcement, the sheriff’s office or 9-1-1. The caller tells the person there is a warrant out for their arrest for a certain amount of fine. The reason for the warrant is represented as being anything from a traffic violation, missed jury duty, failure to pay full income tax requirements to the Internal Revenue Service, or some other minor infraction.

The scammer then tells the potential victim that their options are either to surrender themselves to law enforcement for arrest, or that they may pay a “reduced” payment of the fine to adjudicate the warrant.

The scammer provides instruction on how the payment should be submitted, usually through an “eGift” cash card or similar payment to a specified account or name given by the caller. These scam artists use pre-paid phones, and many times are not even in the jurisdiction where the crime occurred, making their apprehension difficult.

Although the Nelsonville Police Department will sometimes make calls to inform someone about a warrant, the Police Department will never ask for payment over the phone or offer to negotiate for reduced payment in lieu of arrest. Anyone with questions about a warrant may call the courts or local law enforcement.

Anyone who has been a victim of this scam, or who receives such a call, is encouraged to take down as much information as possible, such as a name and call back number, without giving any information away. Then, immediately contact Nelsonville Police Department at (740) 753-1922 or (740) 753-1736.