ROBSTOWN, Texas — On their small farm outside Robstown, Robert and Gail Trimble built a quiet life surrounded by the animals they love — chickens, two donkeys and an American Drum horse named Charlie. Robert runs his diesel mechanic business out of the barn. “This was so beautiful for us… we had been so blessed by God,” he said.
That peace fractured on a February afternoon when 48 tons of used blasting sand were dumped on the property next door by L & R Services, their neighbor. The sand originated from ARC Energy, an oil and gas equipment fabricator that uses blasting material to strip paint and coatings. ARC did not dump the material; L & R Services did — a decision that placed the company at the center of a Texas Commission on Environmental Quality investigation.
A TCEQ report found the blasting sand contained metal dust capable of irritating the eyes, skin and respiratory system of both people and animals. Investigators detected dust on the Trimbles’ barn and water trough and matched it to the material dumped next door.
This was not the first time blasting sand had been buried at the site. In 2020, court records show Roy Martini, owner of L & R Services, was charged with a felony for illegally dumping 200 pounds of similar material. The case was dismissed in 2023 after Martini completed a pre-trial diversion agreement.
Texas law prohibits burying industrial waste such as blasting sand. Dumping solid waste anywhere other than an approved site is a criminal offense.
For the Trimbles, the consequences have been immediate and painful. They say they have lost 20 chickens and 11 turkeys since February, losses they attribute to the dust blowing in from next door. Now they fear for Charlie, their American Drum horse, whose health has deteriorated sharply over the past several months.
Videos of Charlie taken before the dumping show a healthy, powerful horse running freely in the corral. But when we met her recently, Charlie’s ribs were visible, her frame noticeably thinner, and her hind legs appeared weakened — as if the muscle were beginning to atrophy. The stark before-and-after images, the Trimbles say, capture exactly how dramatically their lives have changed.
“I just want some help,” Robert said. “I’m out there breathing that stuff for 10 to 12 hours a day… and it’s affected my health. I’m afraid one day Gail and I are going to wind up with cancer.”
State officials have not linked any human or animal health problems to the incident. But the lingering dust is difficult to ignore. After spending more than an hour in the field behind the Trimbles’ home, I experienced burning in the feet and hands, along with a headache.
“For me, it’s my throat and my eyes… then they start watering,” Gail said.
Martini, however, insists he has done nothing wrong. “Everything was tested… I spent a lot of money sending everything to the lab,” he said, describing the sand as “perfect backfill” and blaming what he called “very disgruntled neighbors.”
The deputy who investigated the 2020 case disputed those claims, saying Martini denied wrongdoing even as violations were ongoing. "His attitude was, 'I'm not doing anything wrong, I'm talking to TCEQ all the time'...while he was telling you that...he was out there doing illegal stuff." said Ned Cherry, with the Nueces County Sheriff's Office.
The Trimbles filed their complaint with TCEQ in February. The agency confirmed violations this summer, but no cleanup deadline was issued for months. Two days after KRIS 6 News asked about the status of the case, TCEQ sent a letter to L & R Services giving them a deadline of Dec. 14 for removal and cleanup. The violation remains open until then.
For the Trimbles, the deadline doesn’t erase their losses — or their fear. “We’re not the only ones affected,” Robert said. “There are babies living out here… there are children walking up and down the street...they didn't ask for this, none of us asked for this.”
TCEQ says enforcement actions are still under review and could include penalties if cleanup is not completed by the deadline. ARC Energy, which produced the blasting sand, is not accused of wrongdoing. The situation remains under state evaluation as the cleanup moves forward.
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