MARION COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – Marion County multi-agency investigations say their recent campaign on illegal dumping and litter has landed two felony convictions in the county. They have been working with the State Attorney’s Office to pursue maximum penalties for illegal dumping as part of the ‘No Horsin’ Around with Marion’ litter awareness campaign.
A trailer housing several racing vehicles, a 55-gallon drum, various auto parts, and multiple types of fuel was reported stolen to the Ocala Police Department (OPD) in late September 2022. Deputies from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) report they soon located the suspect in Belleview. Marion County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 30-year-old Alex Herring and initially charged him with carrying a concealed weapon with prior felony convictions and resisting an officer without violence.
The stolen trailer was located in Belleview; however, the contents had been removed. It was later discovered that Herring had tried to hide the contents by burying them in two holes using an excavator. The buried items recovered included multiple types of fuel and the racing vehicles, which led OPD to contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) due to the possibility of hazardous waste contamination.
Just a few days after Herring’s arrest, the DEP team obtained samples from the dump sites and the recovered items for analysis. The samples confirmed the presence of hazardous waste in the soil surrounding the dumpsites. Herring “did not have permission from the property owner to dump or bury any items,” explained DEP Special Agent Robert Freeman. Freeman further stated that “the fluids, fuel, and batteries are listed as hazardous.”
Illegal dumping of hazardous waste totaling 500 pounds or more is a third-degree felony per Florida’s Litter Law. Investigators say Herring had buried nearly 14,000 pounds of hazardous waste in an attempt to hide the contents of the stolen trailer.
Herring was sentenced to two concurrent five-year prison terms in maximum confinement with credit for time served.
“We are committed to safeguarding our environment, and holding those who don’t accountable. Littering affects the quality of life for our citizens here in Marion,” stated William “Bill” Gladson, Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney. “My office is proud to continue our partnership with the Litter Task Force in our pursuit of a cleaner, healthier community.”
This is the second case the task force has worked resulting in a conviction.
“It has certainly been amazing to see the results of a community coming together to make a change,” said Marion County Commissioner Craig Curry, who has been an outspoken advocate of the anti-littering campaign in Marion County. “This is more than stopping litterbugs, it’s about preserving everything that makes our community so great, including our natural environment and our wildlife.”