MONTGOMERY COUNTY DEMOLITION LEADS TO WATER POLLUTION CHARGES

Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr. announced today that Restoration East, LLC, a Maryland company, located in the 4200 block of East Chase Street in Baltimore City, and Louis John Helmacy, 43, of Cedar Avenue in Towson, Maryland, were both charged in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County with water pollution violations. Helmacy is one of the owners of Restoration East.

The charges allege that Restoration East and Helmacy engaged in the hydrodemolition of a concrete floor in a parking garage located in the 8400 block Georgia Avenue in Montgomery County, Maryland. The hydrodemolition project involved demolishing the concrete floor with high-pressured water, which produced a slurry-like wastewater containing pulverized concrete.

The charges allege that Restoration East and Helmacy violated the State's water pollution laws, from June 1, 2003 through June 10, 2003, by failing to obtain a permit prior to discharging the wastewater and by intermittently discharging the wastewater into waters of the State.

The maximum penalty for discharging pollution without a permit is 1 year imprisonment and/or a $25,000 fine. The maximum penalty for discharging pollution into the waters of the State is 1 year imprisonment and/or a $25,000 fine.

The filing of charges is merely an accusation of criminal wrongdoing and anyone charged is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

These charges follow a joint investigation conducted by the Environmental Crimes Unit of the Office of the Attorney General, the Maryland State Police Department, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Criminal Investigation Division and the United States Park Police.

A trial date has been set for January 13, 2005 in Montgomery County.

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