A homeless man from Indiana was arrested for littering after throwing sewage into a rain runoff grate in Clermont.
An officer responded to the intersection of State Road 50 and U.S. Highway 27 at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28, to speak with a man later identified as 62-year-old Bret Abbate, according to an arrest report from the Clermont Police Department.
The communication was made to inform Abbate about new laws regarding public camping and sleeping on public property that will go into effect under Florida statute and Clermont City Ordinance. He was upset during this discussion. He indicated that he was not required to follow any laws or norms and that if the officer did not leave his property, he would be arrested, according to the report.
Abbate sat on a pail on the side of State Road 50, blocking the sidewalk as they spoke. The conversation continued, and he started walking over to the drain for rain drainage. According to the complaint, he dumped his raw sewage waste in the grate, along with several trash items, feces-covered napkins, cigarette butts, and rubbish that should have been disposed of in a trash bin.
Abbate also crumpled the documents the officer had just handed him, which were intended to educate him about the new regulations and the consequences of remaining camped out on the sidewalk. He then threw them on the ground right in front of the officer, according to the report.
According to the investigation, Abbate also had almost 15 pounds of raw sewage dumped on the sidewalk in containers that were not permitted for raw sewage, which violated Florida statute.
Later, authorities detained Abbate on charges of littering public roads with objects weighing 15-500 pounds without a permit. They brought him to Lake County Jail and then released him on his own recognizance. He is liable for appearing in court on February 19.