Point Man Arrested For Illegal Commercial Dumping On CR 1151

A 20-year-old Point man was arrested for illegal commercial dumping on Hopkins County County Road 1151, according to arrest reports.

Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Todd Evans reportedly began investigating the illegal dumping Monday, after being alerted about construction materials being dumped along County Road 1151. After looking into the matter, the Point man was identified as a potential person of interest. Evans notified Hopkins County Assistant Fire Marshal Mike Matthews of the investigation and contacted Whiting.

Hunter James Whiting agreed to talk with the officers at the sheriff’s office Tuesday. During the interview, Whiting allegedly admitted to dumping a truck load of construction materials removed from a construction site in another county for disposal on CR 1151 in Hopkins County. The offense is alleged to have occurred on Jan. 29, 2021.

Due to the size size of the reported, which reportedly included pieces of wood and metal from what one person reported looked like cabinetry as well as other structural construction materials, Whiting was charged with illegal dumping of commercial materials estimated to weigh over 200 pounds.

Whiting remained in Hopkins County jail Wednesday morning on the felony illegal dumping charge. Bond was set at $10,000 on the charge, according to jail reports.

The arrest is the second made by local authorities in the last 2 months. Justen Blake Saffel, 26, was arrested on Jan. 6 for allegedly dumping debris and trash near Lake Sulphur Springs, at the dead end of County Road 4703. The debris, when hauled away in a dump truck, weighed more than 4,000 pounds, officials reported following Saffel’s arrest. He was located in Omaha, Texas and charged with illegal dumping and intentionally or knowingly unauthorized discharge of the debris adjacent to the water way, in connection with the dumping near Lake Sulphur Springs.