A 47-year-old Ocala man was arrested on felony littering charges after reportedly dumping more than 700 pounds of garbage in a local cul-de-sac.
On Tuesday, May 12, deputies from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office arrested Clarence Leroy Lewis III at his home on SW 165th Loop in Ocala. The arrest comes after an investigation that began on Thursday, April 16, when a code enforcement officer allegedly discovered an unapproved disposal site at the end of SW 35th Terrace.
According to the arrest report, the dump site had a significant amount of wooden furniture, domestic rubbish, wood, and other odd items. While sorting through the pile, the code enforcement officer discovered several pieces of mail addressed to two people.
According to the report, those individuals were called, and they claimed to have paid a man named Lewis $30 per trip to cart away their trash in a dump trailer towed by a pickup truck. They also told MCSO that Lewis was meant to transport the garbage to a local landfill.
When approached by the suspected employers, Lewis allegedly stated that an unknown person had rented his trailer and was responsible for the trash dump.
During the subsequent investigation, MCSO deputies reviewed house surveillance footage, which allegedly showed Lewis and his car transporting the things away from the individuals’ home.
Marion County Solid Waste arrived at the event site and collected the debris, which weighed around 740 pounds.
On Wednesday, May 6, deputies approached Lewis, who allegedly refused to reveal the identity of the person he said rented his trailer. According to the report, Lewis informed officers that he would “take responsibility for the dump site.”
Lewis was arrested and brought into the Marion County Jail. He was released on bond the next day and is now facing felony charges for dumping litter weighing more than 500 pounds.
According to jail records, Lewis is set to appear in Marion County court on Tuesday, June 16, at 9 a.m.
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