Trash Talk: A Tale of Felony Littering in Marion Oaks
In the not-so-great outdoors of Marion Oaks, one man’s trash became everyone’s problem when deputies discovered a staggering 1,780 pounds of garbage dumped across the subdivision. The alleged culprit? Francisco Campos Bautista, who apparently decided the woods were the perfect place for a trash stash.
It all started on June 25th when Marion County Code Enforcement Officer Scott Anderson stumbled upon heaps of litter—black trash bags bursting with debris, spilling into the wood line. After some detective work and a rummage through the refuse, Anderson found a paper trail leading back to 6600 SW 151st Loop. The address linked the trash to residents Dina Moreno, José Moreno, and Maureen Brienza.
Despite a less-than-warm welcome at the Moreno household (no one answered the door), Anderson and Deputy Vasquez had no trouble finding more of the incriminating black “Rural King” trash bags strewn around the yard. It wasn’t long before other dumping sites, equally well-stocked with the same bags, popped up around the area.
When finally tracked down, Dina Moreno confessed her late mother was a “minor hoarder,” and she had hired a passing Samaritan—Bautista—to help clear out the mess. Bautista’s story? A little murkier. He first claimed to have taken only a few bags of trash to the dump, then admitted to two trailer loads, and finally pointed a finger at a mysterious “Michael” who he claimed took the trash off his hands.
But the evidence piled up higher than the trash. Multiple dump sites, conflicting statements, and no sign of a “Michael” capable of hauling 500-pound loads left Bautista holding the (trash) bag. With 1,780 pounds of litter left in the woods, Bautista now faces charges of felony littering.
Remember, folks, one man’s trash is no one’s treasure—especially not when it’s dumped illegally.
