Trucker Guilty of Toxic Dumping
A truck driver for a fertilizer distributing company pleaded guilty Tuesday to violating the federal Clean Water Act when he dumped more than 100 gallons of concentrated sulfuric acid into an ecologically sensitive area in Oceanside.
Louis Henry Hall Jr., a driver for Verdegaal Brothers Inc. of Hanford, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor violation of the law in a plea agreement and will cooperate with a continuing federal investigation of chemical pollution.
Assistant U.S. Atty. Charles S. Crandall said federal prosecutors also have agreed to drop charges against the company, which will pay $12,500 to Camp Pendleton for improvement of endangered species habitats on the base that may have been affected by the chemical dump.
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