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DA files tion . p . charges .Firms in Stockton, , , _Tracy face fines By Hugh Wright . . The Stockton Record Criminal pollution charges have been filed against the owner of a Stockton cir- cuit -board manufacturing company, the Earth Grains Bakery in Stockton and Holly Sugar Co. of Tracy. . Arthur Smith, owner of R.V. Circuits, 916 S. Center St., has been hit with a civil lawsuit demanding $750,000 as well as a misdemeanor criminal charge of illegally disposing of hazardous waste, punishable by a year to jail and a fine ranging from $5,000 to $250,000. He is scheduled for arraignment Feb. 15. Smith could not be reached for com- ment Thursday; but R.V. Circuits' exec- utive vice president, R.C. Tupas, said the lawsuit is "ridiculous" because the firm has been working with authorities.,to cor- rect problems. "I don't see any violations. I think we're doing a good job," said Tupas, who is a defendant in the lawsuit .along with Smith and Celso Tupas, vice president of production. The suit, filed by Deputy District At- torney Lisa F. Brown;' alleges that corro- sives and . heavy metals used in making printed circuit boards were illegally ' dumped into the city sewer system, and employees have not been adequately trained in hazardous waste management. 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. . Earth Grains is scheduled for arraign- ment Feb. 20 in Stockton- Municipal, Court. Holly Sugar's arraignment will be Feb. 19 in Tracy Municipal Court:' "We were taken by surprise," said Wil- liam Schwer, vice president of Imperial Holly .Corp. of Sugarland, :Texas, .and general counsel of. Imperial dolly '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 S�O C Kms- 60c&7d ... DUMPING Continued from B-1 dirt over it. The allegations against Earth Grains are that ;waste oil was dumped from the ,bakery at 2651 ,'S. Airport Way into -a drainage ditch leading to Duck Creek. The lawsuit seeks $750,000 damages. R.V. Circuits also was sued by the district attorney's office in 1988 on similar allegations. As a result, the firm's previous owners, Raymond and Betty Vasquez, paid $7,500 in a settlement and Smith, who had just bought the business, agreed to obey an injunction bar- ring further pollution, Brown said.