Florida woman arrested for not clearing the 14,000 pounds of trash that built up at homeless encampment
A woman in Florida has been arrested and charged with felony littering after local law enforcement found more than 14,000 pounds of trash and hazardous debris at an illegal homeless encampment in Ocala, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
Laura Roland Gherman had allegedly been trespassing in the area and was warned to leave the property and to get rid of the trash heap. She was reportedly offered county resources to help clean up the site.
She allegedly failed to comply with the order. On July 17, deputies arrived and found a makeshift structure at the homeless encampment surrounded by mounds of garbage, human waste, drug paraphernalia, shopping carts, and bike parts, according to FOX 35 Orlando.
The Marion County Solid Waste department was called in to remove all of the debris from the site. The operation required two days and involved more than 40 workers as well as heavy machinery. In total, crews removed 14,260 pounds of trash.
Under Florida law, dumping more than 500 pounds of litter is a felony offense.
On July 21, Gherman was arrested and charged with trespassing and felony littering.
“We are fully committed to protecting public safety while also preserving the natural beauty that makes Marion County special,” County Commission Chairman Kathy Bryant said in a statement following Gherman’s arrest.
It’s not the first time this year someone in Ocala has been charged with felony littering.
In February, a code enforcement officer found more than 3,000 pounds of trash dumped off an Ocala road. A box amongst the debris included the name of 22-year-old Reynaldo Chicha’s mother, according to Ocala News.
Deputies investigating the illegal dumping tracked down Chicha and spoke to his mother, who told them that her son handles all of her trash.
When questioned about the dump sites, Chicha reportedly initially denied dumping the garbage, claiming that sometimes the wind blows trash from his yard out into the street.
Deputies arrested Chicha and reportedly showed him photos of the site. Upon viewing the photos, he reportedly admitted that he did dump trash at the sites. He’s been charged with felony litter dumping.
