On the weekend of July 15, reports were coming into the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office of witnesses seeing a sewage transportation truck on the move near the Asay Creek, one of the contributing waterways of the Sevier river - one such witness had recorded evidence via a trail camera. The Sheriff’s Office sent deputies to investigate the area, at which point they discovered employees and vehicles of the A-Action sewage disposal company, including an excavator that was under operation cleaning up a sewage dump site. All three A-Action staff - Sindi Vetere, Weston Vetere and James Torgerson - were arrested on site.
According to an official press release from the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office, the Office “... identified those responsible for dumping waste material along the Sevier River … The [GCSO] takes the protection of these recourses very seriously, and, just like in this instance, will discover the perpetrator and ensure justice is served.”
Per the deputy that first investigated the reports, the location had multiple human waste dump sites, including toilet paper and feminine hygiene products, in various states of recency. Torgerson admitted to dumping sewage in the area, and Sindi Vetere - who owns A-action - stated that when she was informed of the situation, she and Weston brought the excavator out to clean up the issue.
Between the initial illegal waste disposal and the illicit use of the excavator to manipulate the area, felony charges of obstruction of justice are being levied against all three A-Action staff members, with an additional felony charge of unlawful discharge of pollutants against Torgerson.
In collaboration with the Kane County Sheriff’s Office, the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office is underway investigating A-Action’s operations, including the execution of a search warrant for A-Actions’s office and records. The GCSO offered its thanks to Kane County for its cooperation, and especially to the citizens who reported the issue for investigation in the first place.
Torgerson and the Veteres have been released from custody on conditions to await trial.
