Libby crews clearing waste from public land once claimed by City Council candidate

City workers in Libby are busy cleaning up piles of waste and debris on public land off City Service Road — land that City Council candidate Darrel "DC" Orr claimed was his in a recent dispute with MontanaSky, the internet service provider for the area.

City Manager Jim Hammons said the debris, which includes old tanks, vehicle parts, rusting barrels, concrete slabs and fencing, is in the process of getting catalogued and removed. The state Department of Environmental Quality, which received a complaint about the site on Aug. 2, also is pushing the city to clean up oil and grease stored there, Hammons said last week.

Officials only recently learned the city owns the property, Hammons said. The land — which the city has owned since 1974, according to county records — came to their attention after Orr's alleged run-in with MontanaSky employees earlier this year.

"We're just cleaning it up," Hammons said as city workers inspected the debris. "If we don't clean it up, we could face liability."

The dispute that brought the dumpsite to light occurred after MontanaSky employees had a camper belonging to Orr towed from company land, which abuts the city property. Orr returned to the area on May 19 and allegedly tried to run down an employee who was walking in the road. She jumped out of the way, court documents said.

One witness at the scene recounted hearing the woman scream and seeing her dodge the pickup, according to court documents. Another saw the truck and recognized it as Orr's vehicle, court documents said.

"I do believe that Darrel Orr's driving caused (the victim) to be in fear for her safety," Lincoln County Sheriff's Capt. Boyd White wrote in an affidavit.

Prosecutors charged Orr with felony assault with a weapon or, in the alternative, criminal endangerment. He has pleaded not guilty.

Meanwhile, Orr signed a criminal trespass warning, aimed at all employees of MontanaSky, for what he claimed was his property. Deputies served the warning, which was obtained by the Western News, to the victim.

But neither Orr nor his family has ever owned the property. The land originally belonged to Bonnie Remp, who brought it to her husband, Halstead Remp, in marriage. The Remps gave one portion of the land to the city for a sewage disposal plant in 1965. The portion that's now the dumpsite was sold to the city for $1 in 1974.

Reached by phone and asked to explain the piles of discarded equipment and material, Orr said he could not. He gave the same answer when asked whether he could explain why he issued a trespass warning for property he does not own.

"I can't," Orr said.

He declined to elaborate.

MontanaSky owner Fred Weber said garbage lay strewn across the area when he bought nearby property for his company. The dump piles on city property did not catch any attention until recently, he said.

"I think it was just out of sight, out of mind, so it overflowed one day and the incident where (Orr) had trouble keeping control of his emotions there … that's what happened," Weber said. "He should have just admitted he made a mistake and moved on instead of making a (criminal) case out of it."

Orr most recently appeared in Lincoln County District Court for an omnibus hearing on Aug. 23. His public defender anticipated a multiday jury trial. The trial is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 16, just days after the municipal election.

Orr is one of six candidates competing for three seats on the Libby City Council. Incumbents Gary Beach, Rob Dufficy and Kristin Smith face challenges from Melissa Berke, Zachariah McNew and Orr.

Under Montana law, a person convicted of a felony can't hold elected office until discharged from supervision. Assault with a weapon carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison and a $50,000 fine. Criminal endangerment is punishable with up to 10 years behind bars and a $50,000 fine.

As for the debris, Hammons said officials could pursue those responsible for the dumping. But that decision, which would be undertaken in conjunction with the city attorney, was down the road, he said.

Hammons said the city was working as quickly as possible to clean up the site, but public employees were stretched thin on other projects.

"You can't just leave stuff on property," he said. "We're just trying to clean up what we can."