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HATCH, Garfield County — An investigation into a sewer company accused of dumping human waste illegally in southern Utah has now resulted in criminal charges.
James Phillip Torgerson, 61, of Fredonia, Arizona, was charged Wednesday in 6th District Court with violating the water quality act by illegally dumping pollutants and obstructing justice, third-degree felonies. Sindi Brown Vetere, 42, and Weston Frank Vetere, 33, both of Kanab, were charged with obstruction of justice, a third-degree felony.
The Garfield County Sheriff's Office began investigating the A-Action company on July 15 after receiving a report that the company "had been possibly dumping human waste off a dirt road, by the Asay river, approximately 3 to 4 miles south of the town of Hatch," according to a police booking affidavit.
The person reporting the offense "had placed trail cameras in the area that the human waste was being dumped and was able to get pictures of the sewer company truck in the area," the affidavit states.
An investigator went to the area and found several sites "where it appeared human waste had been dumped," and although several of the sites were older, "there was a smell consistent with raw sewage," according to the affidavit. At least one of the waste dumping sites appeared to still be fresh, the deputy noted.
On Sunday, the trail cameras were activated by someone in the same area. Several vehicles and an excavator were seen on the cameras.
Deputies responded to the area and found Sindi Brown Vetere, the owner of A-Action, her husband Weston Frank Vetere, and Torgerson, an employee.
"Weston was operating the excavator and 'cleaning up' the area of where the dump sites were," the affidavit states.
Torgerson said he was the one who dumped the human waste in the area, according to police. Sindi Vetere told deputies that when she was made aware of the waste, they decided to go clean it up, according to the affidavit.
"None of the parties present said they had reported the incident to anyone and had not received permission from the state, (which) owns the property where the human waste was dumped, to dig or alter the land," deputies wrote in their affidavit.
