Thursday morning, Jan. 15, deputies assigned to Lee County Sheriff’s Office Bravo (East) District were reportedly on patrol in the area of Golfview Boulevard in Lehigh Acres when they noticed a suspicious truck backed up to some brush at the end of Golfview Circle, a cul-de-sac located directly off of Golfview Boulevard.
As deputies approached the truck, reports indicate they noticed a white female waving her arms in an attempt to alert two white males standing in the brush near the rear of the truck. Reports indicate that deputies realized the individuals were engaging in the illegal dumping of large trees and lawn debris. Upon seeing the deputies, the two males attempted to run from the scene, but thanks to the quick actions of the responding officer, both men were detained at the scene, reports said.
A subsequent search of the area revealed the truck and attached trailer, reportedly belonging to one of the three suspects, was filled with a large pile of palm branches, leaves and whole sections of palm trunk.
Lee County Solid Waste Management responded to the scene to assist with the clean up by removing all waste materials that were dumped. An estimated 5,500 pounds or 2.78 tons of waste material was recovered and removed, reports said.
Investigators learned the suspects were responsible for dumping all the recovered waste material, according to reports.
The three suspects — Louis Dale Hall, 35; Robert Michael Morrow Jr., 21; and Mallory Erica Colie, 19 — were arrested and charged with violating FSS 403.413.6.c, which states that any person who dumps litter in violation of subsection (4) in an amount exceeding 500 pounds in weight or 100 cubic feet in volume, or in any quantity for commercial purposes, commits a felony of the third degree.
They were transported to the Lee County Jail for processing.