Firm Makes Pollution Control Devices : Manager Charged in Waste Case

The manager of a Sun Valley company that makes pollution-control equipment was arrested Wednesday on charges of illegal disposal of toxic wastes stemming from the discovery of 107 barrels of waste in a dry creek bed in the Santa Clarita Valley, a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy said.

Rodney Olson, 50, the manager of Fiber-Dyne Inc., was charged in a six-count criminal complaint filed Wednesday by the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office, a spokesman for the office said.

The complaint, filed in San Fernando Municipal Court, accuses Olson and his company of allowing an unlicensed hauler to take barrels containing toxic resins from the firm last fall, Deputy Dist. Atty. Barry Groveman said.

Barrels Found in Acton

Sheriff’s deputies found the barrels in November in Acton, a rural community on the northeastern edge of the Santa Clarita Valley.

At the time, sheriff’s deputies said the barrels contained varying levels of fiberglass resin, a thick, greenish substance that causes rashes and eye irritation and can be lethal in heavy doses. The barrels had been stacked in the creek bed and apparently were being used to build a dam.

Kenneth Abby, a resident of Acton, was sentenced to 60 days in County Jail and three years probation after pleading guilty in December to a violation of Los Angeles County’s hazardous waste laws, Smith said. Abby, a private contractor, is not a Fiber-Dyne employee.

According to the complaint filed Wednesday, the barrels contained waste produced by the Sun Valley branch of the Fiber-Dyne company on San Fernando Road. Groveman said the firm is suspected of routinely disposing of the barrels by giving or selling them to an unlicensed hauler.

Six Counts Each

Olson and Fiber-Dyne were each charged with six misdemeanor counts: two alleging illegal transportation of toxic waste, two of illegal disposal of toxic waste and two of illegally authorizing the disposal of toxic waste, Groveman said.

Sheriff’s deputy Lyle Smith said Olson told investigators that the company had been selling or giving away similar barrels for the last 19 years. But Olson insisted the barrels were empty, Smith said.

Smith, who investigated the case, said he arrested Olson in his office Wednesday afternoon. Olson was released on $1,000 bail.

Olson could not be reached for comment Wednesday, and a spokesman for the Fiber-Dyne company said she knew nothing about the case.

Groveman, who heads the environmental crimes division of the district attorney’s office, said the charges against Olson and Fiber-Dyne could bring fines of more than $150,000, and a two-year County Jail term.