The owner of a waste company and his driver were charged for allegedly dumping sewage into manholes three times, according to the West Palm Beach police.
The police said that the dumping didn’t affect the city’s water supply.
Thomas Fucarile, 68, who owns West Palm Beach waste company Advantage Rooter, and Lavoris Grisby, 65, the driver, were charged after someone allegedly saw Grisby dumping sewage down a manhole, police said.
That unidentified person confronted Grisby and recorded the interaction, but the authorities have not released the video to the public.
Grisby left before police arrived, but the person who recorded the incident took down his name, phone number, permit numbers, and license number.
But this time the sewage spilled onto the street, sidewalks, and grass, leaving a stench in the neighborhood.
After the third incident, the person took their recordings to the police on Oct. 4.
When the police went to the Advantage Rooter office to give them a cease and desist order, Fucarile and his son said an official had told them it was OK to dump sewage in the manhole. They told the authorities that the lift station was clogged and that they had done this as an alternative.
Fucarile and Grisby were jailed but released on $9,000 bail, the Post reported.
2 Workers Mysteriously Die While Working in Manhole
In related news, two Pennsylvania sewage workers were found dead at the bottom of a 30-foot manhole on July 11.The two men were successfully pulled from the manhole around noon but were immediately pronounced dead at the scene by rescue workers.
During a press conference, Aldan Mayor Carmen Maniaci said, “This might be the first time this has ever happened, we’re going to do our best to recover and move forward.”
Maniaci went on to say, “It’s a very heartbreaking situation we have going on here.”
Aldan Borough Police Chief Ken Coppola told reporters: “One of the victims, his father is a police officer, not here but in another Delaware County community. The other victim we all know. We know the family.”
Authorities believe the deaths could be the result of gas fumes inhaled while working underground.