| For Immediate Release May 04, 2005 |
Contact: | Mark Macaulay Media Relations Director (714) 347-8405 |
SANTA ANA MOTORCYCLE PARTS MANUFACTURING COMPANY CHARGED WITH 24 FELONY COUNTS OF ILLEGALLY DISPOSING OF HAZARDOUS WASTE
Santa Ana – Markland Manufacturing, Inc. (aka Markland Industries, Inc.), owner Donald R. Markland, 67, of Laguna Beach, and the production manager for the company, Keith E. Reineke, 54, of Orange, have been charged with 24 felony violations of the state Health and Safety Code and the Water Code. If convicted on all counts, the two defendants face potential state prison sentences and the company faces fines in excess of $100,000.
The Department of Toxic Substances Control with the assistance of the Environmental Protection unit of the Orange County District Attorney’s office investigated and found that between February 2004 and April 2004 untreated hazardous waste from the company’s treatment facility was being dumped directly into the sanitary sewer. The hazardous waste was then released to the Orange County Sanitation District processing facility. The illegally disposed of substances included nickel, copper, lead and arsenic. When too much of one of these toxins is present in the sewage water at the processing facility, the water could potentially be deposited into the ocean as overflow.
The company was previously fined for a prior illegal disposal of hazardous waste. In December of 2002, the company paid $21,000 in fines to the Orange County Sanitation District after it was discovered that company employees were illegally disposing of untreated waste through the sewer. Markland Manufacturing/Markland Industries is located at 1111 East McFadden Avenue in Santa Ana. The company primarily fabricates and finishes metal parts for the motorcycle industry. Their clients include Harley Davidson and Kawasaki.
The arraignment is set for Thursday May, 5, 2005, at 8:30 AM in department C55, Central Justice Center, 700 Civic Center Drive W., Santa Ana, CA 92701. Deputy District Attorney Catherine Borsetto in the Environmental Protection unit has been assigned to prosecute the case.
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