Man Sentenced for Use of Illegal Pesticides

A Sylmar man was sentenced to 90 days in jail for spraying heavy amounts of illegal chemicals in 12 apartments to kill cockroaches, according to Deputy City Atty. Don Cocek.

Enrique Flores Godinez of Sylmar pleaded no contest Tuesday in Van Nuys Municipal Court for dousing the apartments with lethal insecticides, forcing 13 residents to seek medical treatment and more than 60 people to permanently leave their homes, Cocek said.

Following the Nov. 12 incident, victims suffered nausea, vomiting, skin rashes, severe headaches and breathing problems, among other symptoms, Cocek said.

Stove tops, cooking utensils, toys and furniture were saturated with the sprays, two of which were intended for outdoor use only. A third insecticide, Fosforado 50% (DDVP), is considered poisonous if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through the skin and is banned in the United States, Cocek said.

In some apartments, which were located in the 12700 block of Barbara Ann Street in North Hollywood, cartons of food were soaked with chemicals and puddles of insecticide were left on counter tops and floors, according to Cocek.

Residents were temporarily relocated to a Van Nuys motel, but were forced to find new housing after the owner of the apartments refused to pay for cleaning crews to decontaminate the units, according to Jeff Humphreys, an inspector for the county agriculture commission.

Godinez, who was also placed on two years probation, is not a licensed pest-control operator. It was unclear how the owner of the complex, who currently faces no criminal or civil charges, located and hired him, Cocek said.

Godinez was ordered to begin serving jail time on May 24, Cocek said.