A man at the center of a tire removal controversy in Warner Robins said Tuesday he was surprised his name has been in the news.

Francisco Resendez of Warner Robins disputed accounts he was an illegal alien and insisted he did nothing wrong. He just wanted to help out, he said, and now wants his name cleared.

Resendez moved to Warner Robins from Sycamore in Turner County a few months ago, he said, with a desire to help the Hispanic community.

He said he campaigned for Mayor Chuck Shaheen, who helped him find a home to live and helped with expenses.

Last fall he heard there was some work he could do at Commercial Circle.

In December he said he talked with City Council member John Williams, who told him tires at closed-down White’s Tire City at South Davis Drive and Commercial Circle “needed to go.”

“I told him I wanted to think about it,” Resendez said, “and three days later I said I would do it.” He said he planned to use the tires to help fence in 5 acres he owns in Turner County.

Williams told him he would be paid $3,000 for the job, Resendez said, adding that it was an “understanding,” and no contract was signed.

He said he rented a 53-foot trailer in Bonaire to take the tires away, loaded the trailer, then called the state Environmental Protection Division and learned he couldn’t do the job because he did not have a license for tire removal.

Then, Mark Baker, city purchasing agent, told Resendez they would transfer the tires from his trailer to a trailer rented from Jacksonville, Fla., and the city would pay Resendez $700 for the work he had already done. A city check to Resendez for that amount was dated Dec. 15, 2009.

The tires were transferred to the rented trailer and city employees took them away, Resendez said.

The pile of 800 to 1,000 tires was found last month at the end of Foy Evans Drive, on city-owned property. News reports stated the number of tires made the dumping of them a felony.

A code enforcement officer began an investigation, but that was stopped by Shaheen, according to a police report.

In a talk radio interview Tuesday, Shaheen said he was asked to prosecute Resendez, but he balked because he did not have the facts.

“I did not see the pile of tires. I was asked to sign a waiver of prosecution but I did not sign (the) waiver,” Shaheen said. “Once we found out the hauler was not licensed to take away the tires we stopped it.”

He went on to say he wanted facts before determining whether to prosecute someone. “I don’t know if asking to prosecute was standard operating procedure with the previous mayor, but this mayor’s not going to do that,” he said.

Shaheen last week asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to investigate the handling of the discovery of the dumped tires.

As far as he knew, “Mayor Shaheen knew nothing about this,” Resendez said of the December tire removal. “Then all of a sudden last week my friends tell me I’m in the news about this.”

Resendez took issue with reports calling him an “illegal alien,” stating he was born in Texas.

“Just because I have a Hispanic name does not mean I’m an alien,” he said. “This is real frustrating for my family and me to go through. I came here to do something good for the community.”

Resendez said he did give some tires to the owner of a convenience store, but did not take any for himself. He works for Anthony’s Cabs of Warner Robins and part-time on weekends at the Kohl’s distribution center in Macon.

“This is my city and I’m not planning to go anywhere,” he said. “I came here to help Shaheen get elected. I hardly know the area but my name is being dragged down. I’ll take a polygraph to prove I’m innocent. My name is the only thing I have.

“People know I’m a good Christian and believe in God. Nothing is going to happen to me because God will protect me from any evil out there.”

(Editor’s Note: In a separate development, members of the city council tell The Patriot that, despite last week’s vote by a 4-to-3 majority of mayor and council to move ahead with plans to build the Law Enforcement Center on an athletic field near city hall, city hall has arranged a field trip Wednesday to the metro Atlanta area to view other possible options. According to sources, WR officials will go to Henry County to see how a derelict strip mall is being converted to a LE Center.)