Sanitation worker to Richland Co. homeowner: "I couldn't hold it anymore"

RICHLAND COUNTY, SC (WIS) - A Richland County man called WIS News 10 after making a disgusting discovery in his yard. He says a sanitation worker did a very unsanitary thing at a house on his route. The resident called us to help him figure out who did it and make sure he gets punished.

It was out there for days, lurking near a utility shed on North Donar Drive. Left behind, Friday morning, Jacob John says, by a guy who'd just hopped off a garbage truck. "He just said he had to go and you know, 'I'm sorry man, my bad. But I couldn't hold it anymore.'"

We can't, and really don't want to show you what John is talking about. Suffice to say it's something no homeowner should have to see in his or her backyard, including John's brother-in-law Clarence Martin, who got into an angry exchange after discovering the man relieving himself in an area visible from the street - and accessible to Martin's children.

John is upset too, because he owns the property. He says as the dispute escalated two other workers from the Ard Sanitation crew showed up to defend their co-worker. And nobody cleaned up the mess. "I wouldn't be here talking to you right now if I at least got an apology and somebody offered to come up and clean up the job."

John says he called Ard Sanitation at least a half dozen times, getting no response and thus no apology.

But Monday afternoon, WIS News 10 reached the company's manager, who promised immediate action. WIS News 10's Jack Kuenzie found James Anderson working in the Woodfield Park neighborhood. "I'm going to go out there and correct the problem. I'll take the crew out there and try to identify who the guy was and we will take the ... appropriate action."

Anderson says Ard has six trucks, 21 employees, and 7,000 customers. At least one of those employees is now facing possible suspension or other disciplinary measures.