DETROIT (WXYZ) — A Detroit business is accused of illegal dumping, and the city said the perpetrators were caught in the act. It happened Tuesday morning on 30th Street near Herbert Street.
Evone Brogdon said she’s been connected to her home on 30th Street since 1952 and has since purchased some of the vacant lots around it.
"I’m just so glad that we’re getting cleaned up around here," Brogdon told 7 Action News.
Tuesday morning, Detroit’s demolition department said one of its demolition contractors working on 30th Street noticed illegal dumping and a dump truck that got stuck in the mud. It happened on property owned by the Detroit Land Bank Authority.
“This particular contractor knew that the material had not been here the day before (and) alerted the field liaisons to the fact that it was now in place and we responded accordingly,” LaJuan Counts, director of the Demolition Department, said.
She said the next call was to Detroit police, which is preparing to issue a citation against Gamboa Construction.
“What you see today is a collaboration, as the director indicated, from the mayor. And it’s directly feedback from the community," Detroit Police Department Deputy Chief Franklin Hayes said.
"They’re sick and tired of blight and Chief White has given us the charge. We will support our other city entities and worth together to address this issue. So, those that are considering this, consider this a warning."
Jose Gamboa, the owner of Gamboa Construction, agreed to meet with 7 Action News.
He said he was hired by a man who lives at Brogdon's home to pour some dirt to even out the ground on an adjacent lot.
"But the only mistake that I did here — and I know that I did that mistake — is driving in somebody else's lot," Gamboa explained.
He said his workers and the truck got stuck when crossing over the land bank property and that they poured a mound of dirt (on land bank property) to lighten the load.
A demolition department spokesperson said it appears the second mound of dirt is on a private, residential lot. However, the bottom line is Gamboa shouldn’t have crossed over the land bank property, let alone dump in the first place.
Gamboa acknowledged this.
“I told (the demolition contractors), 'Be patient. I'm coming right back, and I'll move it where (it's) got to go,'” he recalled.
The man who Gamboa said hired his company to pour the dirt told 7 Action News he had no comment.
The demolition department said the soil is in the process of being tested to see what's in it and whether it’s hazardous. That will determine how it should be disposed of.
