CURRAN GETS CONVICTIONS AGAINST
UNLICENSED WELL DRILLER

Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr. announced today that John E. Branham, 69, of Port Republic, Maryland, was convicted in the District Court for Charles County of practicing well drilling without a license and misrepresenting that he is a licensed well driller. On Tuesday, the Honorable Richard A. Cooper sentenced Branham to a total of six months in jail, all suspended, a $500 fine, $1,425 in restitution to the victim, and three years of probation.

Branham was also convicted for practicing well drilling without a license in a separate case. The court imposed a 90-day suspended sentence and an additional $500 fine.

The instant offenses occurred in Charles County between the fall of 2002 and the winter of 2003. On each occasion John Branham was hired by home owners to repair their existing wells. After the home owners reported the unsatisfactory results of Branham's work to the Maryland Department of the Environment, they learned that Branham did not have a well drilling license. Maryland licenses well drillers to ensure the quality of their work and to protect the public health from improperly constructed wells.

This case was prosecuted by the Environment Crimes Unit of the Attorney General's Office, with the assistance of the Maryland Department of the Environment, and the Maryland State Police.

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