Friday, January 14, 2011

ATTORNEY GENERAL ANNOUNCES 12-YEAR PROBATION SENTENCE FOR MAN WHO ILLEGALLY DISPOSED OF WASTE IN ADAMS COUNTY

Colorado Attorney General John Suthers announced today that an Adams County District Court judge has sentenced David Anton Sudduth (DOB: 9/30/1958) to 12 years probation for his role in dumping grease and biodiesel byproducts at a site in Adams County near Colorado Highway 104. The judge also ordered Sudduth to pay more than $120,000 in restitution to the state. The judge suspended a prison sentence for Sudduth on the condition that he pays the restitution in the next several months.

The oily slick Sudduth released on the property of Amber Investors LLC covered about one acre. Sudduth pleaded guilty to criminal mischief, a class-three felony, on May 6, 2010.

“Colorado’s land and water are among the state’s most treasured resources,” Suthers said. “This sentence underlines the efforts of my office to vigorously pursue criminal cases against those suspected of illegally disposing of waste in Colorado.”

“Oily wastes must be disposed of safely and legally in order to protect the environment,” said Lori Hanson, special agent in charge of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Criminal Enforcement in Denver. “Individuals who flagrantly cut corners and disregard the law in order to avoid the cost of proper disposal will be prosecuted.”

The Office of the Attorney General investigated and prosecuted the Sudduth case in cooperation with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Enforcement Division, Tri-County Health, the Commerce City Police Department and the Adams County District Attorney’s Office.

To report an environmental crime in Colorado, call the Colorado Environmental Crime Task Force at 303-312-6134 or fill out the form posted on the Attorney General’s Web site.

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