Man Seized in Series of Illegal Dumpings

Undercover sheriff’s deputies in Carson Monday arrested a man who is suspected of illegally dumping construction materials and trash in several South Bay cities and in Long Beach for at least the past two years.

Miguel A. Mendez, 47, of Wilmington was booked on three misdemeanor counts of illegally dumping hazardous materials on a public highway, said Sgt. Lamar Bleavins. Mendez was released pending a court appearance.

Mendez, who runs the Bay Area Gardening cleanup and hauling business, drove his flatbed truck filled with tree trimmings and construction materials to Alameda Street about 3:45 a.m., where he had been tracked by a sheriff’s helicopter and unmarked patrol car, officials said.

“He just drove around awhile and then just dumped it right into the No. 1 lane of Alameda Street, just south of Sepulveda Boulevard,” Bleavins said. Mendez is also suspected of dumping trash in Wilmington and Torrance, Bleavins said.