Man Sentenced in Toxic Waste Case
A former specialist for a Ventura hazardous material cleanup company has been sentenced to 40 hours of stenciling “Don’t Dump, Drains to Beach” along Ventura County’s storm drains.
Charles Thomas Hale, 48, of Camarillo was charged with unlawful transportation of hazardous waste after he told personnel at a Montecito hotel that a 15-gallon spill of dry-cleaning solvent did not contain hazardous materials and could be dumped in the sewer.
Hale pleaded no contest to the charges. His sentence for the Nov. 1, 1993, incident also includes a $2,000 fine and 36 months of probation.
Hale was working for Ecology Control Industries Inc. at the time of the spill. Hotel personnel had retained ECI to prevent the chemical perchlorethylene from reaching the Montecito Sanitary District’s sanitary sewer system.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
