Illegal dumping arrest in Port Charlotte

CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. — Deputies arrest a man for illegally dumping tree debris into a Port Charlotte vacant lot on Wednesday.

Dillon Merlak is charged with a felony for allegedly dumping around 12:30 p.m. near Friendly St. and Chamberlain Blvd.

A deputy was patrolling the area and noticed several large trailer loads of waste debris that had been dumped.

During the investigation, the deputy observed a large white and blue trailer truck backed into a vacant lot on Woolard Ave. and had its tailgate open with a man standing at its control panel.

Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office says the deputy stopped to speak with Merlak and say he could not provide an explanation for why he was backed into the vacant lot with his tailgate open.

The deputy says Merlak gave him the phone number of the owner of the company ACI Land and Tree in Venice says the waste in the trailer was from jobs the employee completed for paying customers but was also unable to provide an explanation for the trailer being backed into the vacant lot nowhere near a solid waste facility.

Dillon Merlak was arrested for illegal dumping and the truck and trailer were towed from the area.