Tossing fast-food wrappers out the car window in Florida might get you a ticket for littering and few points on your license, but littering a lot – more than 15 pounds worth – is Illegal Dumping. So if you couldn’t figure out what to do with the load of junk in the back of your pickup truck and you just dumped it in the woods, you can be charged with a first-degree misdemeanor and spend up to a year in jail.
The more you dump, the greater your legal troubles. Dumping more than 500 pounds or dumping hazardous waste is a third-degree felony, which means you could go to jail for up to five years.
It’s important to talk with an experienced criminal defense lawyer if you are charged with Illegal Dumping.
Other possible penalties include:
• Probation
• Fines
• Community service
• Remediation
• Restitution
Defense Against Illegal Dumping Charges
As with any case, a criminal defense attorney can make pretrial motions to have certain evidence suppressed (if the police violated procedure) and make motions to dismiss the case altogether if the prosecution has a weak case. If the case goes to court, your lawyer will argue other aspects of the case, including:
- Lack of knowledge: While ignorance of the law is generally not an acceptable defense, there are circumstances in which a good defense attorney can demonstrate that a defendant made a good faith effort to follow the law, but was reasonably unaware of certain aspects.
- Invalid dumping regulations: There are times when local governments misinterpret state laws and regulations.
- Justifiable reliance: Basically it means that the local authorities gave you bad advice. For example, the guy at city hall told you that you didn’t need a permit.
If you’ve been charged with Illegal Dumping, you’ll want the best criminal defense attorney you can get. Consider the skilled and aggressive Orlando Criminal Defense Attorneys at Rivas Law. Call 407-644-2466 so we can work through your legal problems and you can get on with your life.
