PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY MAN SENTENCED FOR DUMPING LARGE QUANTITIES OF CONSTRUCTION DEBRIS IN CHARLES COUNTY

Maryland Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr. announced today that a demolition contractor from Prince George’s County has been given a five year suspended sentence, which was stayed by the granting of a probation before judgment, for illegal dumping. Forrest S. Holt, 41, of 5901 Middleton Lane, Camp Springs, Maryland was convicted on May 11, 2006 by a jury in the Circuit Court for Charles County. The conviction resulted from Holt directing his drivers to haul construction and demolition debris from his commercial yard on Eads Street in Seat Pleasant, to a property on Masons Crossing Road in Waldorf where it was dumped in April and May of 2005.

Judge Amy J. Bragunier, who presided over the two-day jury trial, also imposed a $25,000 fine, $20,000 of which was suspended and placed Holt on three years probation. As a special condition of probation, he was ordered to remove the demolition debris from 14600 Masons Crossing Road and to provide proof of its proper disposal by September 30, 2006. The two owners of the land have also been charged for allowing the dumping to occur. Their cases are still pending in the Circuit Court for Charles County. The statutory maximum sentence for dumping is five years in jail and up to $30,000 in fines.

This conviction follows a joint investigation conducted by the Environmental Crimes Unit of the Office of the Attorney General and the Maryland State Police with the assistance of the Maryland Department of the Environment, Solid Waste Division.