Baltimore County Man Pleads Guilty to
Release of a Hazardous Substance

BALTIMORE, MD (January 31, 2008) - Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler announced today that Timothy F. Slowik, 43, of Middle River, pled guilty in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County of unlawfully causing and contributing to the release of mercury, a hazardous substance. Judge Robert E. Cahill, Jr., sentenced Slowik to one year in jail, all suspended, and five years supervised probation. The Judge also ordered Slowik to pay $22,877.21 in outstanding remediation expenses.

On December 4, 2006, Slowik, angry about being evicted from his residence at 2112 Oakland Road, began throwing bottles and other objects around the basement. One of the bottles broken contained approximately five to six pounds of mercury, which he left on the floor throughout the night and after his eviction the following day. Extensive environmental remediation over a nine month period was required due to the mercury vapor contamination of the residence.

This conviction follows an investigation conducted by the Environmental Crimes Unit of the Office of the Attorney General with the assistance of the Maryland Department of Environment’s Emergency Response Division. In making today’s announcement, Attorney General Gansler thanked Assistant Attorney General Jay Robinson for his work on the case.