Man Hired to Haul Trash Allegedly Dumped it Illegally, Could Face Felonies

A Fairfield man hired to haul trash away from a Napa home dumped it alongside a local roadway, officials say.

Now that man, 39-year-old Paul Armendariz, could face felony charges of dumping a hazardous waste, the Solano County Sheriff's Office said in a press release.

The trash, which was discovered near Lyon Road in an unincorporated area of Fairfield last week, will be cleaned up by county road crews. 

Armendariz and the home-owner who hired him will get the bill for the cleanup, the sheriff's office said.

"Please remember to hire licensed waste-hauling services to remove waste from your property," the press release states. "Additionally, you may check with the Better Business Bureau. The customer may ultimately be liable for illegal dumping even if someone else was hired to haul away the debris."

The full press release follows:

Suspect Identified in Fairfield Illegal Garbage Dumping Case

On Wednesday, April 17, 2013, the Solano County Sheriff’s Office received a report of an illegal dumping complaint near Lyon Road in an unincorporated part of Fairfield. Solano County Public Road Crews located the large amount of garage alongside the roadway. Environmental Crime Investigator, Jon Couvillion, initiated an investigation into the incident to determine who was responsible. The investigation identified Paul Armendariz, 39-years-old, of Fairfield as being responsible for the dumping of the trash. The trash was determined to have come from a Napa household. The homeowner stated they had contacted Armendariz from a Craiglist advertisement where he was offering to haul trash for a fee. The investigation revealed that after removing the trash from the household in Napa, Armendariz dumped the trash in Solano County. 

The case has been sent to the Solano County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution. The Solano County Sheriff’s Office is requesting felony charges for Penal code section 374.8 (Deposit hazardous substance) and Health and Safety code section 25189.5(b) (Improper disposal of hazardous waste material). Both of the violations are felonies. The waste will be removed by the Solano County Public Works Crews. Armendariz and the home owner will eventually be liable for the clean-up fees once the total cost has been determined. 

Please remember to hire licensed waste-hauling services to remove waste from your property. Additionally, you may check with the Better Business Bureau. The customer may ultimately be liable for illegal dumping even if someone else was hired to haul away the debris. 

The Solano County Sheriff’s Office Environmental Crimes Unit is funded by Solano County Resource Management. The primary purpose of the unit is to locate, investigate and identify those responsible for illegal dumping in Solano County.

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