A homeless pair in Sorrento were arrested for trespassing when deputies found their campsite with vast amounts of garbage on a horticulture and agriculture property.
A deputy responded to an area near Quaker Ridge Road in Sorrento regarding homeless individuals trespassing on an agricultural and horticultural property around 5:10 p.m. Monday, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Upon arrival, the deputy met with the land manager of Gold Coast Land Management who advised that multiple homeless individuals, two of which were later identified as 42-year-old April Lousie Campbell and 37-year-old Jonathan Lee Hill, were living within the fenced-in and posted horticulture and agriculture property he managed, the report said.
The manager drove two deputies to the campsite in the forestry area using an off-road vehicle. Once they got there, the deputies observed a wooden makeshift house, electricity running and vast amounts of garbage. There were also miscellaneous items to include tents, multiple broken bicycles, cabinets, beds, vehicle parts, shelves and chairs, as well as two smaller camp sites to the north and south, the report said.
One of the deputies approached Campbell and Hill, who were living at the campsite, and advised them that they were trespassing on horticulture and agriculture property. Campbell later admitted to knowing she was trespassing but did not know it was horticulture and agriculture property, the report said.
The report noted that the property, per Florida State Statute, had signs posted at all points of ingress, egress and easement that were not fenced in. The signs stated the area was designated commercial property for horticulture products, and anyone who trespassed was committing a felony, the report said.
Campbell was arrested on charges of trespass on horticulture and agriculture property and littering (amount exceeding 500lbs in weight or 100 cubic feet in volume). The North Carolina native was transported to Lake County Jail with bond set at $3,500.
Hill was arrested on charges of trespass on horticulture and agriculture property, littering (amount exceeding 500lbs in weight or 100 cubic feet in volume) and possession of methamphetamine. He was also taken to jail with bond set at $6,000.