A man was arrested over the weekend for dumping 63 used tires in Lehigh Acres, according to Capt. Ed. Tamayo, commander of the Bravo District substation in Lehigh.

Tamayo said that on Saturday, March 27, 2010, a citizen called the Lee County Sheriff’s Office to report a suspicious vehicle in the area of 75th St. W and Eunice Ave. N.

The complainant followed the suspicious vehicle until a marked unit was able to conduct a traffic stop, Tamayo said.

The driver later admitted to having used his personally owned Chevrolet van to transport 63 used tires to the area of 75th Street W and Eunice Ave. N to dump them illegally, Tamayo said.

The tires originated from an unknown business in Echo District on Crystal Drive. The suspect then showed deputies where he had dumped the tires and was soon after transported to the district for an interview.

The suspect, identified as Amaury Castillo, 36, told detectives that he was paid $1 per tire for his services. This crime is an environmental hazard, Tamayo said. Because of the amount of tires dumped and the fact that he was accused of dumping them for commercial purposes (for-profit), he was arrested and charged with a third degree felony for illegal dumping, Tamayo said. The tires were removed from the scene to avoid any further hazard.