Clewiston man arrested for dumping over 2,000 pounds of debris in neighborhood

CLEWISTON, Fla. - A neighborhood in Clewiston woke up to an unpleasant surprise earlier this week when they found a massive pile of demolition debris dumped across the street.

The debris, which included tires and wooden panels, was found along Avenida Del Rio Avenue, causing concern among local residents.

WINK News reporter Maddie Herron was on the scene Thursday and noted that the trash has since been cleaned up. The neighbors, though unsure who removed it, are relieved it's gone.

"I looked out the window and seen somebody piled a big pile of trash up," said Walt Reynolds, a Clewiston resident.

Reynolds and his neighbors discovered more than 2,000 pounds of debris illegally dumped at the corner of Sawgrass Street and Avenida Del Rio Avenue.

"It's not only illegal, it's very inconsiderate to the people that live in our town," Reynolds said. "I talked to a couple of my neighbors, one of them, he had pictures of it."

The Clewiston Police Department posted photos of the debris to their Facebook. Police said photos to track down and arrest a man named identified as Jamie Navarro on a felony illegal dumping charge.

In a phone call to WINK News Navarro explained his side of the story, saying, "I spoke to somebody close to me in the neighborhood, and they said, 'Man, you know, there's a spot right down the street on the corner where everybody frequently uses to put stuff out there for the city to pick it up,'" He added, "this wasn't like a malicious act or me trying to get out of not having to pay the dump fees, or anything like that. It was literally just bad timing for me and a poor judgment call on my part."

Dr. Udayashree Nune, who lives nearby, was shocked to see the pile of debris Tuesday.

"I did not believe it. How can they do that?" she said. Now, she is relieved her street corner is clear again.

"I feel so liberated, so happy," Nune said. "How can they stop it? Maybe they put a camera there so they can record."

Reynolds says, in recent years, he has seen illegal dumping 'three times in the same exact spot.' He hopes the arrest sends a message to the community.

He added, "You don't have to cause problems for your neighbors or people that aren't even your neighbors, hauling trash in and dumping it in our neighborhood or anyone else's."

For those who witness illegal dumping in Clewiston, the Department of Public Works advises taking pictures of the debris and any visible license plate tags, then reporting it immediately to the Clewiston Police Department.