Owner of Battery Firm Arrested for Dumping
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The owner of a business that rebuilds large industrial batteries was arrested Wednesday on misdemeanor charges for allegedly dumping wastes, including acid and lead, into city sewers, prosecutors said. Victor Torres Pena, 63, of Pasadena was arrested at his business, Victor Industrial Batteries on San Fernando Road in Lincoln Heights, by the Police Department’s Hazardous Materials Unit. Prosecutors said he would be freed after posting $500 bail.
The arrest and charges stem from a county health department investigation of the business, which rebuilds batteries used in trucks, forklifts and heavy equipment. Investigators determined that waste, including lead and sulfuric acid, were allowed to run off in a pit.
That pit sometimes overflowed, allowing the waste to flow in the street, gutter and sewers, the city attorney’s office said.
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