BALTIMORE CITY HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE VIOLATION NETS JAIL TERM

Maryland Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr. announced today the conviction of Carl Adkins, 44, of the 1300 block of Towson Street, Baltimore City, on one count of unlawful storage of a controlled hazardous substance.

Adkins pled guilty in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City to the charge of unlawfully storing a hazardous substance. According to the statement of facts, from June 2001 through October 2003, Adkins, a Baltimore City brick-washer, accumulated at least 39 drums of brick-washing wastewater. Instead of properly disposing of the collected wastewater, Adkins illegally stored the drums in a garage located at 1200 Ward Street in Baltimore City. Many of the drums were tested and determined to have hazardous levels of lead toxicity. Despite being ordered to properly dispose of the drums, Adkins failed to do so.

Proper disposal of brick-washing wastewater is required by State law because of the risks to public health and safety created by the dangerously high levels of lead found in the wastewater. In May 2004, the Maryland Department of the Environment facilitated the proper disposal of the hazardous waste in the drums.

The Honorable Judge Allen L. Schwait sentenced Adkins to 5 years in jail with all but 90 days suspended and placed him on three years of supervised probation with substance abuse counseling. Judge Schwait allowed Adkins to serve the 90 days incarceration in home detention.

This case was investigated and prosecuted by the Environmental Crimes Unit of the Office of the Attorney General with the assistance of the Baltimore City Police Department, and the Special Projects Team of the Pollution Control Section of the Baltimore City Department of Public Works.

#