BUSINESS OWNER AND TWO ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY COMPANIES PLEAD GUILTY TO SEDIMENT CONTROL VIOLATIONS

Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr. announced today the guilty plea and sentencing of Lothian Trading Post, Inc., a Maryland site excavation company, located at 231 Marlboro Road in Anne Arundel County; the company’s owner, David Riggs, Jr., 37, of the same address; and Three Rivers Sportsmen, Inc., a Maryland corporation, located at 215 Three Rivers Road, for violations of the State’s Sediment Control laws.

Lothian Trading Post, Inc., Riggs, and Three Rivers Sportsmen, Inc. each pled guilty in the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County to the charge of unlawfully beginning construction without an approved sediment control plan. Lothian Trading Post pled guilty to illegally dumping wood waste and construction debris, in addition to the sediment control violations.

According to the statement of facts, from March 1, 2003 through April 23, 2003, Riggs and employees of Lothian Trading Post, Inc. dumped large amounts of construction debris and wood waste into a large ravine at the Three Rivers Sportsmen Club in Anne Arundel County. The officers of Three Rivers Sportsmen, Inc. authorized Riggs and his company to fill in the ravine believing the ravine posed a safety hazard. However, the defendants failed to obtain the required sediment control plan prior to filling the ravine. In addition, Lothian Trading Post, Inc. illegally dumped construction debris and wood waste into the ravine.

In December 2003, the Anne Arundel County Department of Inspections and Permits issued a Violation/Correction Notice to Three Rivers Sportsmen, Inc. regarding the illegal filling. The County determined that removal of the debris and waste from the ravine would cause further environmental damage. The Defendants, therefore, are currently working with the County to obtain necessary permits and to install appropriate sediment control plans.

Sediment control plans must be filed with local authorities prior to filling or otherwise disturbing land. These plans prevent soil erosion and sediment deposit from polluting waters of the State. Failure to implement and maintain appropriate soil erosion and sediment measures creates a great environmental risk to fish and other marine life in Maryland waters.

The Honorable Judge Joseph Manck ordered Lothian Trading Post, Inc. to pay a $5,000 fine and placed the company on one year of probation for the sediment control violation. Judge Manck also imposed a $10,000 suspended fine for the littering violation.
David Riggs, Jr. was placed on one year of probation and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine with all but $2,000 suspended.

Three Rivers Sportsmen, Inc., was placed on one year of probation and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine with all but $3,500 suspended.

All of the fines must be paid to the Maryland Sediment Control Fund. In the event that any of the defendants violate the terms of their probation, the Court has reserved the right to impose the maximum sentences.

The maximum penalty for beginning construction without a sediment control plan is one-year incarceration and/or a fine of $5,000. The maximum penalty for litter disposal exceeding 216 cubic feet is 5 years imprisonment and/or a $25,000 fine.

These cases were investigated and prosecuted by the Environmental Crimes Unit of the Office of the Attorney General with the assistance of the Maryland State Police.

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