Sewage dumper gets jail, ordered to pay $10,000

Winston Sentner, 61, sentenced to four months in jail for dumping raw sewage on farmland

A P.E.I. man who worked as a septage hauler and dumped human sewage on a portion of farm land in Wheatley River last year was sentenced in Charlottetown provincial court to four months in jail. In addition to the jail term for mischief, Winston Sentner, 61, was ordered to pay $10,317.20 in restitution to the landowners, Hoff Dairy Inc., for the damage. Court heard that the landowners would not be able to use the land to grow crops for human consumption “for the foreseeable future.” Judge Nancy Orr said that Sentner’s behaviour was “completely illogical” and his explanation “makes no sense”. She added that he disputed being on the property on Oct. 11, 2017, and committing the offence until conservation officers showed him photo evidence to the contrary a week later. The landowners suspected trespassing and illegal dumping was occurring on their land, so they installed cameras. On Sept. 26, Sentner was captured on camera trespassing on the land in his personal vehicle, a Ford Ranger, with a “no trespassing” sign in plain sight. His lawyer said the reason Sentner was on the property on that occasion was that he was dropping off sandwiches to his brother working in a nearby field. Then on Oct. 11, Sentner was caught on camera again, this time in the sewage hauler dumping human waste on the property. For trespassing, Sentner was fined $500 plus a $25 surcharge. For the damage to property offence, Sentner will be placed on probation for two years after he is released from jail. As well, while on probation, he is barred from the Hoff property and prevented from owning, operating or applying for employment involving septic. Sentner was also sentenced to 30 days in jail consecutive to the four-month sentence for common assault on April 18. Sentner previously pleaded guilty to punching his daughter in the face over a dispute. He will be placed on probation for 18 months after his release from jail.