Charges Filed Against Leaders of HazWaste Transportation Business - Feb 20, 2014
Charges Filed Against Leaders of HazWaste Transportation Business - Feb 20, 2014
An investigation by California's Department of Toxic
Substances Control has resulted in the arrest of two operators of Clearwater
Environmental Management, Inc., a hazardous waste transportation company
located in Union City, Calif. DTSC, part of Cal/EPA, reported Kirk Hayward, the
former owner of the business, and Charles Seaton, the former vice president,
were arrested Feb. 11. Both are charged with four felony counts of grand theft
by false pretenses and one felony count of conspiracy.
DTSC had referred its investigation to Alameda County
District Attorney Nancy E. O’Malley's office.
"Safe management of hazardous waste relies on the
accurate tracking of waste shipments," said Reed Sato, DTSC's chief
counsel. "Investigating the falsification of transportation documents is a
high priority for DTSC, and we are grateful for the partnership with the
district attorney in prosecuting these threats to public safety."
According to the department, Clearwater lost its license to
transport hazardous waste in 2007 as the result of an investigation by DTSC's
Office of Criminal Investigations, but the company kept operating the hazardous
waste portion of the business by using the identity of another licensed
transporter on official records.
After DTSC discovered Clearwater was using another transporter's identity, its personnel served a search warrant at the facility in July 2011. The agency reports investigators found Clearwater was documenting transports of hazardous waste to an oil recycling facility in Nevada it owned, but many times the waste went elsewhere.
Source: http://eponline.com/
Feb 20, 2014