DEQ Continues Enforcement Over 6,000-Tire Pile on Central Oregon Property

Update: Added response from local tire company, which says it immediately stopped working with the property owner after allegations surfaced.

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Oregon environmental regulators say they remain focused on enforcing action against Martin Soto Hernandez, who is accused of illegally storing 6,000 waste tires that remain piled on his rural Central Oregon property.

A DEQ official said in a Dec. 30 notice sent by certified mail that Martin Hernandez Soto of Prineville was previously issued a warning letter last May directing him to correct the violation.

Storing so many tires on a property on Fort Rock Road, east of Horse Ridge and south of Highway 20, without complying with permit requirements, "poses a risk to human health and the environment, including the risk of fire," DEQ Office of Compliance and Enforcement Interim Manager Erin Saylor wrote.

"You have been storing and processing approximately 6,000 waste tires at your property since at least the spring of this year (2025)," she told Soto in the notice.

Soto has appealed the fine, DEQ Public Affairs Specialist Antony Sparrow told KTVZ News.

Questions emerge about who brought tires to the site

The investigation has also raised new questions about who was working with Soto to dump tires at the location. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality confirmed it recently received an email from a concerned citizen regarding Tires USA using the site as a drop-off location and working with Soto.

KTVZ News independently obtained a series of emails and invoices that appear to show Tires USA working with Soto and using the site to drop off trailers full of tires. In one email to a customer, Newman wrote, "I do need to swap/exchange the 2 in Bend this week. There are 2 empty trailers on site in 57810 Fort Rock Road Bend Oregon 97701."

That is the location where Soto is allegedly illegally storing 6,000 tires.

However, Tires USA owner Jason Newman said he immediately stopped working with Soto when he realized the operation was likely illegal. Newman told KTVZ News that Soto employed illegal immigrants and had another suspect business in Klamath Falls, reiterating that he wanted nothing to do with the business.

DEQ: Oregon enforcement remains focused on the property owner

The DEQ said it is aware of the international investigations and the accusations leveled against Newman. However, the agency said its enforcement efforts in Oregon remain focused on a much narrower issue: the conditions currently present on the Fort Rock Road property.

"The email did not include information about any environmental issue immediately occurring outside of the waste tire storage on Mr. Hernandez's property, which DEQ is already enforcing," the agency said in a statement.

Instead, regulators say responsibility rests with the property's owner.

"Because Martin is the owner of the property, he is the party responsible for proper storage and disposal of the waste tires," DEQ said.

That distinction is important because DEQ's enforcement authority is tied to the property and its owner, regardless of who may have been involved in bringing tires to the site.

The Oregon DEQ said attempts to reach Newman were unsuccessful.

Public complaints continue to drive environmental investigations

While DEQ says its attention remains fixed on the Fort Rock Road site, officials emphasized that public complaints continue to play an important role in environmental enforcement.

"Reports of pollution from Oregonians are an important element of the enforcement of Oregon's environmental laws," the agency said.

DEQ added that if it receives information about environmental violations connected to Newman outside the Fort Rock Road property, it has the authority to investigate.

Residents can submit environmental complaints through DEQ's online reporting system.