Man Arrested for Stealing 15 Dump Truck Loads of Dirt Worth $3,000

Lee County, FL - A man has been accused of stealing 15 dump truck loads of dirt, valued at $3,000, belonging to a Southwest Florida municipality.

Lee County Sheriff's deputies arrested Dimitri Alvarado on Monday morning after deputies found 8 to 10 dump trucks lined up, waiting to be filled with dirt owned by the district, next to a canal on private property near Alvarado's residence on Anaconda Avenue South in Lehigh Acres.

According to the arrest report, Alvarado owns a business called Hawkeye Site Development and instructed his employees to steal the dirt.

Davis Lindsay, manager of Lehigh Acres Municipal Improvement Services District, noted that this isn’t the first instance of dirt theft, which has become a weekly occurrence.

The district remains vigilant, with Lindsay warning that anyone caught stealing dirt will be prosecuted.

Lindsay told NBC 2 News "Our guys were out on a job site and saw a bunch of dump trucks lined up with a loader. The sheriffs got there in time and caught them in the act."

Alvarado faces charges of theft of municipal property.