A Saturday afternoon in rural Polk County became an investigation after a local witness caught two men reportedly unloading a big quantity of garbage near Lake Wales. The incident, which occurred on March 14th, resulted in felony charges against two Jacksonville males who allegedly attempted to flee the scene when they learned they were being photographed.
The situation began when a witness observed two males busily throwing rubbish in a remote place. According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the witness took out his phone to record the incident, but the suspects noticed the camera and chased him. The witness made it out unharmed and promptly contacted law authorities to report the spot.
When a deputy arrived, the two men were still present, along with a Dodge pickup truck and a trailer. Behind the trailer was a mound of wasted stuff. Investigators identified the individuals as Austin Davidson, 21, and David Souza, 38, both of Jacksonville.
The accused provided a precise defense for the mess. One of the males informed the deputy that their truck had become trapped in the woods and that they had just dropped the trash to reduce the burden so they could pull it free.
However, the responding deputy stated in his report that the truck was not stuck when he arrived, and there was no physical evidence in the dirt or surrounding terrain to indicate that it had ever been bogged down.
The crime scene measurements revealed that the dump site was 1,260 cubic feet in size. Because of the volume of rubbish, the charges were escalated above simple littering.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrested both Davidson and Souza and brought them to jail, where they face felony charges of illegal dumping.