Man Charged With Illegally Stockpiling Manure

LOXAHATCHEE GROVES, Fla. -- State officials accused a man of having 15-foot-high mounds of horse manure on his property without a permit. Walter Duque, 22, is estimated to have stockpiled enough manure on his 5-acre property in Loxahatchee Groves to fill 1,000 dump trucks, the Department of Environmental Protection said. He was cited for illegal manure composting, said department spokesman Steve Webster. Neighbors complained about foul smells floating through the neighborhood, state officials said in a news release. Investigators said they believe Duque may have been accepting loads of horse manure from nearby communities, illegally composting the waste and selling it.