How Do You Litter A House?

Felony Litter Local business owner could face serious prison time if convicted

by Pat Peterson

Published: Thu, September 27, 2007 - 4:11 pm CST Last Updated: Thu, September 27, 2007 - 4:31 pm CST

Many cities have a problem with litter bugs, but in Pensacola, the problem is big! Code enforcement officials in Escambia County say Otis English dumped an abandoned house on a vacant lot in the Brownsville community. Not just construction debris or a wall...the "entire" house.

"We issued Mr. English a notice of violation and gave him ample time to respond to it," says Code Enforcement Officer Charlie Walker. "When he failed to respond we proceeded with a felony warrant for his arrest and had him picked up."

English has been charged with felony littering. If convicted, the local construction company owner could spend five years in prison and pay hefty fines.

"He hasn't only dumped one house, we know of a couple more houses he's abandoned," says Walker. "I've been dealing with Mr. English for years."

People living near the abandoned houses say they can handle cigarette butts, empty beer bottles and fast-food wrappers, but say litter big enough to live in is too much.

"I think it's ridiculous," says Vaughn Rich. "For somebody to dump an entire house right here, it's pathetic."

"It's disgusting," says Xzavier Rivers. "It makes good neighborhoods look bad. People like that should lose their license and they should be off the streets."

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