An Orange County man who worked for a meat company has been charged in connection with the illegal dumping of hundreds of goat and other animal carcasses last month.

Man arrested in connection with illegal dumping of animal carcasses

Goats, animal parts caused stench for days

Deputies say Aaron Davis Jr. turned in fake receipts to get paid



Deputies said Aaron Davis Jr., 36, dumped the goats and other animal parts in east Orange County in early April.

Davis worked for Ali Meats on Dean Road. On the meat plant’s property you can see live goats, cows and sheep.



Deputies said Davis was supposed to take the animal parts to a landfill. But instead, deputies said he illegally dumped the animal parts, then turned in fake receipts to get paid for it.

The meat plant is halal, which means the animals are to be slaughtered in a respectful way, prescribed by Islamic law.



It's a Muslim tradition that’s in stark contradiction with the animals final resting place, being thrown away in a vacant, overgrown lot on Riverdale Road in east Orange County.



Residents in the area dealt with the stench of the rotting meat for days.

“I think it was wrong for the simple fact that money is not everything in this world, but yet you’re destroying actually the earth,” said neighbor Suly Lugo.

Meanwhile, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office conducted a criminal investigation, eventually leading them to arrest Davis on Friday.

"He is believed to have illegally dumped those body parts in those different locations, and the more insidious part of it is that he created faulty receipts, took it back to his employer and received payment for service he did not provide," Sheriff's Office spokesman Jeff Williamson said.

Davis is charged with grand theft, improper disposal of dead animals and dumping an environmental hazard.

Davis’ bond was set at $3,500. He has bonded out.

