James L. Hidey, a 45-year-old resident of Dover, Ohio, has been charged with a two-count criminal information by the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio for discharging well drilling waste into Beecher Brook, a tributary of the Chagrin River.
The offense occurred in 2008 when Hidey was employed by Great Plains Exploration, a Northeast Ohio-based oil and gas well drilling company. On two separate occasions, he directed the disposal of brine, a toxic substance used during the drilling phase, into stormwater sewers following gas well completions in Mayfield Heights and Highland Heights.
Brine, water heavily saturated with salt, is highly toxic and requires proper handling and disposal. According to Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, ‘Clean, fresh water is one of our greatest resources in Northern Ohio.’ He added that the prosecution will continue to fight against polluters of Ohio’s streams, rivers, and lakes.
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine emphasized the environmental harm caused by such actions: ‘Dumping toxic substances like brine into sewers and rivers can be extremely harmful to the environment and a real threat to Ohio families.’ The attorney general’s office is committed to enforcing environmental protection laws and holding violators accountable.
Special Agent in Charge of U.S. EPA’s criminal enforcement program in Ohio, Randall K. Ashe, stated that ‘Our natural resources must be protected,’ and his agency will continue to investigate and prosecute crimes against the environment.
This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Brad J. Beeson following an investigation by the U.S. EPA Criminal Investigation Division, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation, and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, all part of the Northeast Ohio Environmental Crimes Task Force.
An information is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is entitled to a fair trial where it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Key Facts
- State: Ohio
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Public Corruption|Environmental Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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