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OWNER OF NORTH CAROLINA BUSINESS PLEADS GUILTY
Release Date: 02/01/2002
Contact Information:
FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2002
OWNER OF NORTH CAROLINA BUSINESS PLEADS GUILTY
Luke C. Hester 202-564-7818 / [email protected]
Theodore Searcy, owner of Quarter Master, an auto parts cleaning business located in Kernersville, N.C., pleaded guilty to violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act by illegally storing hazardous waste. The company cleaned auto parts associated with racing cars by dipping them into vats of nitric acid. Searcy, transported approximately 70 drums of waste acid from the vats to a barn in Kernersville and other locations in Guilford and Randolph counties where it was illegally stored. The soils near the barn were tested and found to be highly acidic, possessing a pH of less than two. The barn was located across from Kernersville Middle School. Soils which are highly acidic can produce significant burns when they come into contact with skin. When sentenced, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison and/or a fine of up to $250,000. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office with technical assistance from EPA’s regional office in Atlanta and the North Carolina Department of Natural Resources. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Greensboro.
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