Illegal Gasoline Tank Removed in Sun Valley
The owner of a Sun Valley company pleaded no contest Monday to criminal charges of installing an underground 8,000-gallon gasoline tank in a mostly residential neighborhood without proper permits.
In a plea bargain, Ralph Conlon, 58, owner of Eagle Concrete Cutting Co., agreed to remove the tank and conduct tests for soil contamination. It was buried under his business in the 11000 block of Penrose Street, said Vincent Sato, a Los Angeles County deputy district attorney.
Conlon pleaded no contest to five counts of violating a 1983 ordinance that requires storage tanks to meet safety standards to guard against earthquake damage and ground-water contamination. Conlon is the first to be prosecuted under the ordinance, Sato said.
An additional 12 counts will be dropped provided he lives up to terms of the plea bargain, Sato said.
Removal of the tank and chemical testing of the soil has cost Conlon about $4,000, Sato said.
The plea bargain calls for 2 years probation and a $5,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled Jan. 23.
Investigators discovered the tank in March, 1987, after a neighbor complained to fire officials that it had been installed.
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