SATICOY : Man Charged in Fire Dies Before Trial

Four years after a Saticoy chemical-blending plant exploded, spewing a toxic cloud and forcing the evacuation of 1,500 people, the man charged with four hazardous waste violations has died before he could stand trial.

Benjamin Lynn Adams, 44, of Newbury Park, who owned Pacific Intermediaries, died March 13 after a lengthy battle with cancer that forced the postponement of his trial several times, his attorney said Tuesday.

“We had several trial dates, but by that time, he was in treatment, so it was always subject to whether he would be able to appear in court,” Oxnard attorney David Callahan said.

“I always felt he was entirely innocent of the offenses he was charged with,” Callahan added. “I think (prosecutors) applied statutes to him that were not in effect at the time of the fire.”

The pharmaceutical supply plant erupted April 10, 1989, due to a short in an electrical appliance, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Michael Schwartz. Fifteen people were hospitalized for a brief time after inhaling fumes spread from the fire, officials said at the time.

Schwartz said he will file a motion to terminate the scheduled trial by next month.

“We have been delaying the case in the hope that (Adams) would be well enough to stand trial,” Schwartz said. “I thought he was a personable person, and I’m sorry that he died.”

Officials first charged Adams with four felony counts but later reduced the offenses to misdemeanors, Callahan said. The charges were negligent storage of toxic waste, illegal disposal of hazardous waste, storing waste longer than 90 days and creating a public nuisance.

Adams reimbursed Ventura County for cleanup costs, and an insurance company paid a $100,000 settlement to the Environmental Protection Agency, Callahan said.