Man accused of illegally dumping tree debris in vacant Charlotte County lot

Reporter: Marcello Cuadra Writer: Joey Pellegrino
Published: Updated:
Dillon M. Merlak, 30. Credit: Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office

A man was arrested Wednesday afternoon after Charlotte County deputies say he was found illegally dumping a felony volume of tree debris into a vacant lot.

According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, Dillon M. Merlak, 30, was arrested after a deputy patrolling the undeveloped areas near Friendly Street and Chamberlain Boulevard around 12:30 p.m. investigated several large trailer loads of waste debris that had been dumped. The deputy saw a large white-and-blue trailer truck in the area. It was backed into a vacant lot on Woolard Avenue and had its tailgate open with a man standing at its control panel.

The rear of a trailer that a Charlotte County deputy says Dillon Merlak had parked by a vacant lot to illegally dump debris. Credit: Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office

The deputy says he spoke with the man, later identified as Merlak, who could not explain why he was backed into the vacant lot with his tailgate open. He insisted the deputy speak to the company owner via telephone.

The man on the phone introduced himself as Adam T. Pablo, the owner of ACI Land and Tree, Venice. Pablo told the deputy that the waste in the trailer was from jobs the employee completed for paying customers, but couldn’t provide an explanation for the trailer being backed into the vacant lot nowhere near a solid waste facility.

The trailer a Charlotte County deputy says Dillon Merlak had parked by a vacant lot to illegally dump debris. Credit: Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office

Based on Merlak’s trailer being backed into the lot with an open tailgate where numerous trailer loads of the same size had been dumped, Merlak was arrested. He face a felony charge of illegal dumping  The truck and trailer were towed from the scene.

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