A Charlotte County man was arrested after being accused of illegally dumping and reporting a trailer as stolen after he got it stuck in the mud.
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The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office said deputies responded to a lot on Pipefish Court in Placida around 5 p.m. on Sunday in reference to a large pile of trash having been dumped and a trailer stuck in the mud.
A witness told deputies that he had seen a truck pulling another truck out of the mud that appeared to have been stuck before both vehicles left, leaving the trash and trailer behind.
The witness described the trucks and the subjects. Deputies said later that day they received a report from Andrew Robert Samuel Cowan, 22, stating that the trailer had been stolen from his house in Englewood.
Detectives investigated the dumping scene where they said they found shipping labels that matched the registered owner of the trailer.
Detectives met with the owner of the trailer who said he had loaned it to Cowan on Sunday. Before taking it, Cowan was reportedly told there was trash in the back which he said he would handle.
The investigation, according to CCSO, found that Cowan had dumped the trash in the lot on Pipefish Ct. before getting the trailer stuck.
Cowan reportedly returned to the lot after telling the owner he got it stuck to find that the truck had already been towed.
Cowan then called CCSO and reported that the trailer had been stolen, saying it had been taken from his home.
Detectives found Cowan at his place of employment and presented the findings of the investigation. CCSO said Cowan then confessed to both the illegal dumping and filing a false report.
Cowan was arrested and taken to the Charlotte County Jail where he faces one count of littering over 500 pounds and one count of false reports to law enforcement.
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