Shop Owner Charged in Waste Disposal

An El Cajon machine shop owner was arrested Tuesday and charged with illegal storage and disposal of hazardous waste, officials said.

Britt Bostick, 34, who used to own Britt Bostick Machine Shop in El Cajon, was arrested at his new business. He has been charged with six misdemeanor counts stemming from incidents that occurred at his old machine shop between January and October, 1990.

Bostick is the first businessman in the county to be arrested on an environmental charge, the district attorney’s office says. The complaint alleges that Bostick, who had previously been warned about illegal storage and disposal of waste, abandoned several drums of flammable, lead-filled waste after closing his business.

The owner of the contaminated property in the 1400 block of Broadway in El Cajon has worked with county health officials to clean up the waste at a cost of about $1,200, officials said. Bostick pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Tuesday and was released.