About 500 pounds of black asphalt.

That’s what Cape Coral police are alleging a 36-year-old truck driver dumped illegally onto a vacant lot in Southeast Cape Coral.

Officer Robert Cantrell arrested Maikel Barreto, of 1015 Southeast 5th Terrace, on a charge of dumping litter over 500 pounds.

Cantrell first received the call around 6:40 p.m. Tuesday. The caller said a dump truck with the name, “Odyssey Trucking” and “Michael Barreto” were written on the cab of the truck which had unloaded the material. Cantrell found Barreto nearby, sitting in a truck that matched the caller’s description.

“The rear of the vehicle had noticeable buildup of a black substance at the base of the door,” Cantrell reported. “Barreto stated he knew the law, and would not dump any material onto a vacant lot.”

While Cantrell checked Barreto for outstanding warrants or license suspensions (he didn’t have any), another officer went to the site of the dumping, and estimated the amount of asphalt dumped was more than 500 pounds.

A witness also positively identified Barreto’s truck and Barreto as the driver of the vehicle when it unloaded the material. Barreto denied it.

He was arrested, taken to Lee County Jail, and was released this morning on $1,500 bond. He is expected to appear in court Nov. 11.

Street supervisor Bob Taylor told news-press.com in a previous story about littering that construction companies who dump materials illegally do so because it costs money to take the waste to a landfill.