SATICOY : Charges Reduced in Waste Case

Ventura County prosecutors have decided to reduce the hazardous-waste charges they filed against the owner of a Saticoy chemical plant that burned down in 1989.

Benjamin L. Adams, 42, of Newbury Park had been accused of four felony violations of hazardous-waste laws stemming from his operation of Pacific Intermediates, a supplier to pharmaceutical companies.

On Friday, however, Deputy Dist. Atty. Michael D. Schwartz said prosecutors had reviewed the case and decided to reduce the charges to misdemeanors. If convicted of the four misdemeanor charges, Adams could be sentenced to a maximum of one year in county jail and fined $100,000, as opposed to a possible prison term if convicted of felony charges.

Schwartz said the decision was based on a re-evaluation of the evidence after Adams’ five-day preliminary hearing last month.

The alleged violations, which involve storage and disposal of hazardous chemicals and wastes, occurred in the months before an April, 1989, fire that destroyed the company and forced 1,500 Saticoy residents to evacuate their homes for a night. Several firefighters suffered minor injuries.

Although the chemicals probably aggravated the fire, it was caused by a spark from an electrical appliance, Schwartz said.

“You’ve got a big fire with a lot of chemicals, but you can’t link any of the hazardous-waste violations to the fires,” he said.

Adams’ arraignment in Ventura County Municipal Court was postponed Friday for a week. His attorney, David Patrick Callahan, said the delay was requested in hopes of resolving the case with a plea agreement. Adams remains free on $50,000 bail.