COMPLIANCE INFO - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Mr Adp9bk 0 An Lodi trucker facea dv mIll- ping chargea Alegre denies pour contaminants -int® Vern is. wetlands, river 1$y Richard Hamer contend he dumped contaminated money, period:' of up to six years as well as fines of 4. The Record debris directly into the San Joaquin Donald Searles, an assistant U.S. up to $50,000 per day of violation. A federal grand jury Friday indicted River. attorney general in Sacramento, said Alegre has undercut competitors by t xucking firm owner Frank C. Alegre In response, Alegre said Friday that Alegre repeatedly refused to halt the taking construction debris to the j t 3f Lodi on charges of dumping cont- federal attorneys are pressing forward dumping and clean up the site, locat- Vernalis property instead of hauling it z is into the San Joaquin River because he has refused to pay fines ed along Kasson Road. to an authorized landfill, Searles said. Xx an tested wetlands. he believes are unjustified. "The egregious part of this is that Alegre has long been active in pol- _: eral prosecutors say Alegre "I don't pay blackmail money," he he refuses to work within the system. itics on the city, county and state level x p He operates a large truckin firm -lumped various materials, including said. "They would have backed off if I Hes just snubbed his nose, Searles p g g ontaminated soil, into wetlands on paid them. They wanted $1.million, said based in Lodi that frequently hauls ' sand, gravel and other materials used ALEGRE: -3roperty he owns along the river near and then they backed down to The indictment includes two felony dernalis, south of Manteca. They also $200,000. But I don't pay blackmail counts that could carry prison terms Please see TRUCKER,Back page Indicted. recognize the authority of govern- r"RUCXER "I can't believe the ment agencies in this matter," Continued from AlSearles said. a Y� l As part of the federal investiga- in construction. indict me.". tion, discharges from Alegre's i- On Friday afternoon,Alegre said truck yard in Lodi were secretly he was surprised thp, grand jury - Frank Alegre, monitored by the Lodi 'proceeded with indictinents. trucking firm owner Department of Public Works. "I_-cadt believe the grand jury Readings showed the discharges would indict me. I went up thereA person should not subject contained excessive levels of vari- twice and talked with them and ous acids that are ingredients in using his property," took pictures with me to show to prosecution forprotecting and truck-cleaning solutions. them what I was doing," he said. the statement AI maintained that he has reads in part. . Jack Ronsko, Lodi's director of Searles said the wetlands is a Public works, said the secret mon- merely reinforced-levees on his sunken area of about aquarter-re materials to halt erosion. g p itoring was conducted at the property with concrete and other acre where Ale has dumped request of the federal prosecutors. In reference to the wetlands "hundreds and maybe thousands" "We prefer to be up-front and were charge, Alegre said he's been tryasso ed construckloads of tion deebnris. The tveland heko els who pushed fa business. ar the ing to fill up a depression on his s property with__soil and other . debris has included soil contami- secret testing, Ronsko said. . materials. nated with diesel, he said. After being informed of the Alegre said he hadn't read the Despite warnings from county high acid readings, Alegre pur- indictment and referred further and federal officials, unauthorized chased a neutralizing system. The questions to Stockton lawyer dumping took place on the prop- city is satisfied with AIegre's Jeffrey Setness. Setness released a erty, which includes 300 acres, response and plans no further prepared statement saying Alegre from 1989 through 1992, Searles action, Ronsko said. looks forward to being vindicated said. Alegre will be arraigned in fed- by a jury. "Mr. Alegre simply refused to eral court in January, Searles said