Bronx Man Nabbed for Illegal Dumping
Sifting through trash recently helped the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office crack a case of illegal dumping.
On July 29, a sheriff’s deputy was patrolling Barrett Road in Southeast when he found a large collection of trash and construction debris dumped on county property adjacent to Interstate-84. After surveying the scene, the deputy took photographs of the dumpsite and then dug through several bags looking for any garbage that might identify the owner. In one of the bags, the deputy found paperwork belonging to a Lake Carmel man, according to the sheriff’s office.
Because of the quantity and substance of the garbage, which included roofing shingles, car tires, lawn mowers and household garbage, the sheriff ’s deputy contacted an Environmental Conservation Officer (ECO) to assist in the investigation, the sheriff’s office said.
The deputy and ECO located the Lake Carmel man and learned that the man, who was a contractor, paid an independent contractor to remove waste from a construction site in Yonkers, according to authorities.
The independent contractor, Antonio Ortiz-Zayas, of the Bronx, was contacted by authorities and directed to meet the deputy and ECO at the dumpsite.
While all three men were at the dumpsite, Ortiz-Zayas told the officers he thought Barrett Road was a free dumping site, but his apparent misunderstanding made no difference. Ortiz-Zayas was issued a littering summons by the sheriff’s department and an unlawful disposal summons by the ECO on the case. Both summons are returnable to the Town of Southeast Justice Court on Aug. 27.
As for the garbage illegally dumped–it was picked up by Ortiz-Zayas.
