VENTURA, California – District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced today the filing of a felony complaint charging Santa Clara Waste Water Company, Green Compass Environmental Solutions LLC, William James Mitzel of LaVerne (DOB 03/15/1957) and Marlene Joan Faltemier of Ventura (DOB 01/13/1965) for crimes related to the operations of Santa Clara Waste Water Company (SCWWC) in Santa Paula, California. The complaint alleges three felony offenses including conspiracy, reckless disregard in handling of hazardous waste causing unreasonable risk, unlawful disposal of hazardous waste, and allegations these crimes were committed while the defendants were out on bail. The complaint also charges seven misdemeanor charges for failing to report hazardous materials to regulatory officials.

On November 5, 2015, district attorney investigators executed a search warrant at the SCWWC facility in Santa Paula. Investigators found in excess of 5,000 gallons of hazardous waste, some of which has been identified as Saxon 10-81/Psc3, a corrosive chemical industrial cleaning agent, that SCWWC had not previously reported to Ventura County Environmental Health, as required by law. These hazardous chemicals were stored in numerous totes and drums within a shipping container that are alleged to have been hidden on SCWWC’s site prior to the November 18, 2014 explosion, without making proper notification to regulatory authorities.

Mitzel and Faltemier were arrested today by the District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation. Ventura Superior Court Judge Mark Borrell set bail at $500,000 for each defendant.

Arraignment for Mitzel and Faltemier is expected to be set on or after December 14, 2015, at 9:00 a.m. in courtroom 12 of the Ventura Superior Court. SCWWC and Green Compass Environmental Solutions

LLC are scheduled for an arraignment on December 18, 2015, at 9:00 a.m. in courtroom 12 of the Ventura Superior Court.

Each individual defendant face a maximum sentence of four years, eight months in local custody, in addition to the previous charges alleged in the 71-count Indictment issued by the Ventura County Grand Jury on August 7, 2015.

The new charges, in addition to those subject to the previous indictment will be jointly prosecuted by the California Attorney General.