Kester Uzochukwu posted bond and was released. SPECIAL

The arrest of CSRA Waste President Kester Uzochukwu, who surrendered to authorities Monday morning at the Richmond County Law Enforcement Center, has the future of the city's expanded garbage service up in the air two days before Thanksgiving.

Mr. Uzochukwu, 54, has been charged with theft of services, and is accused of bilking the city of landfill fees by mixing outside trash with the city's, then dumping it all for free.

Garbage haulers working under city contracts don't have to pay for loads dumped at the landfill off Deans Bridge Road because the city operates it.

Sheriff Ronnie Strength said CSRA Waste has been taking advantage of that system by mixing the city's trash with garbage from its private contracts, among them Gracewood State School and Hospital, which it began servicing July 1.

Police charged Mr. Uzochukwu because he is the head of the company.

"We know for sure he looks at those bills," Sheriff Strength said. "He has to pay them."

CSRA Waste empties bins at Gracewood with front-end loader trucks, which pick up the large metal trash bins and flip the contents into the hull.

A review of landfill records between July and the first week of November by The Augusta Chronicle found no instances of CSRA Waste paying to dump its front-end loader trucks - instead they were written off as city-contracted trash.

On Nov. 9, a reporter watched a CSRA Waste truck pick up Gracewood's trash. It then went on to pick up trash at Underwood Homes, one of the areas served under the city contract. Records show the truck's contents were charged to its city contract account.

However, a ticket on the same truck that went through Gracewood on Monday - the day charges were filed - showed the tipping fee was charged to the company's private account.

Mr. Uzochukwu posted a $3,050 bond and was released two hours after his arrest. He declined to speak with reporters at his office Monday afternoon, then did not return phone messages.

"We're quite surprised that the mayor or anyone would initiate criminal charges on what amounts to a breach of contract," said his attorney, Ed Tarver.

The public spotlight directed at Mr. Uzochukwu's company this month hasn't been favorable. On Nov. 2, The Chronicle published the results of its own investigation in which reporters observed CSRA Waste workers dumping recyclables in with household trash - a violation of CSRA's city contract.

About a week later, Mayor Bob Young said he received a tip from a credible source that CSRA might be involved in illegal activity, and he took that information to the sheriff.

Sheriff Strength said investigators performed surveillance on CSRA garbage trucks. They made videos and tracked garbage loads by planting orange bags in private bins, then noted which trash the load was mixed with and on what account it was charged, the sheriff said.

In the wake of the arrest, city officials are grappling with what to do with the majority of the trash routes. CSRA Waste covers all but two of Augusta's nine pickup territories in the expanded service area.

When bids went out earlier this year, CSRA made offers on the seven territories adding up to $6,300,972, which beat next-highest bidder Augusta Disposal and Recycling's tally by $1,627,985.

"He sat right here on this couch," Mr. Young said of CSRA's president, pointing to a love seat in his office, "and looked me right in the eyes and said I should trust him.

"Considering the events that have taken place over the last week, that would indeed have been misplaced trust."

Although other garbage haulers expressed concerns about CSRA's ability to offer such low bids, City Administrator George Kolb said the contractor met all the city's requirements, passing background checks, past performance evaluations and its capacity for collection.

The city has what amounts to an insurance policy for CSRA's service, and if the contract is terminated, that policy - called a performance bond - would pay for another company or companies to carry out garbage collection.

"We have to consider whether or not these are grounds to terminate the contract," Mr. Kolb said."I guess I'm disappointed that someone could take a fairly lucrative contract and literally put it in jeopardy."

Reach Johnny Edwards and Heidi Coryell Williams at (706) 724-0851