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D'A files Pollution .,charges Firms in Stockton, , Tracy face fines By HughWright - The Stockton Record ; Criminal pollution charges have been filedagainst the owner of a Stockton cir- cuir-board manufacturing company, the Earth Grains Bakery in Stockton and Holly Sugar Co.of Tracy. . Arthur Smith.owner been R.V. Circuits, S L G1,6(( RP d Sr- 0/ 916 S.Center St.,has been hit with a civil To CD't o�— lawsuit demanding $750,000 as well as a misdemeanor criminal charge of illegallyDUMPING , , ' T_ f1111 1 1 ditch leading to Duck Creek. The disposing of hazardous waste, punishable U Mlawsuit seeks$750,000 damages. by a year to jail and a fine ranging from R.V. Circuits also was sued by $5,000 to $250,000. He is scheduled forContinued from B-t' the district attorney's office in arraignment Feb. 15. dirt over it. 1988 on similar allegations. As a Smith could not be reached for com- result, the firm's previous owners, "ment Thursday, but R.V. Circuits' exec- The aIle ations,against Earth Raymond and Betty Vasquez paid utive vice president, R.C. Tupas,said the g g :$7,500 in a settlement and Smith, `lawsuit is "ridiculous" because the firm Grains are that ,waste oil was who had just bought the business has been working with authorities,to.cor- dumped from the,bakery at 2651 . agreed to obey.an injunction bar- has rect problems. S. Airport Way into a drainage ring further pollution,Brown said. "I don't see any violations. I think we're doing a good job," said Tupas,who is a defendant to the lawsuit along with Smith and Celso Tupas, vice president of production. The suit, filed by Deputy District At- torney Lisa F. Brown,41leges.that corro- sives and heavy metals used in making { printed circuit boards were'lllegally' } dumped into the city sewer system, and employees have not been adequately trained in hazardous waste management. : f The criminal charges against Earth Grains and Holly Sugar are against the corporations, not any individuals, so no jail time is involved although the fines could be as much as$250,000. I Earth Grains is scheduled for arraign- ment Feb. 20 in Stocktom.Municipal - Court. Holly Sugar's arraignment will be Feb. 19 in Tracy Municipal Court. I "We were taken by surprise," said Wil-. liam Schwer, vice president of Imperial 1 Holly .Corp. of Sugarland, Texas, ;and l ;,general. counsel of Imperial Holly 'and 'Holly Sugar Corp. Schwer declined fur- ther comment. Brown said about 400 gallons of diesel fuel spilled on the ground when a storage tank valve broke at Holly, and plant offi- cials failed to report the spill as required and tried to conceal it by dumping See DUMPING,B-3 i