GARFIELD COUNTY, Utah — A man was arrested Sunday for dumping sewage on public land in southern Utah, and the owners of the company he worked for were also arrested for trying to clean it up without informing the state.
The Garfield County Sheriff's Office said it was notified on July 15 that a "sewer company" was possibly dumping human waste off a dirt road near Asay Creek just a few miles south of the town of Hatch. The tipster had trail cameras in the area and sent police photos from the cameras, showing the truck belonging to the company called A-Action. According to its website, the company provides septic tank services, portable outhouses, and other services.
A deputy went to the area and found several different sites on state land where raw sewage was dumped, along with dried toilet paper and feminine hygiene products. The deputy said most of the dump sites appeared "older," but one appeared "very recent."
The sheriff's office began investigating the case, then they received another call from the tipster on Sunday, saying he saw from his trail camera multiple vehicles and an excavator at one of the spots where sewage was dumped.
Deputies went to the site and found three people: Sindi Vetere, who owns A-Action Sanitation, her husband Weston Vetere, who was operating the excavator, and employee James Torgerson.
Torgerson told deputies that he had dumped the sewage in the area. Sindi Vetere then told them that when she learned that Torgerson had done so, they agreed that all three of them would go and "clean up the mess."
Because none of them reported the incident to authorities and did not have permission to "dig or alter the land" that belonged to the state, all three individuals were arrested for obstruction of justice. In addition, Torgerson was arrested for unlawful discharge of pollutants.
All three were allowed by a judge to be released as long as they agreed to certain pre-trial conditions.
