January 14, 2005

Kenneth Schumacher and Alternative Fuels L.C. were found guilty in the 77th District Court in Mecosta County on January 4, for illegally discarding nine truckloads of scrap tires at the Robinson Farms property in Fork Township. The misdemeanor charge against Schumacher and Alternative Fuels L.C. stems from an investigation of a citizen complaint about the dumping of partially shredded scrap tires at the Robinson Farms property.

Robinson Farms, the site of a historical landfill, is operated as a transfer station for solid waste. The charges against Schumacher and Alternative Fuels L.C. alleged that disposal of scrap tires on the property is not legal under state law. Sentencing is scheduled for January 31. Schumacher and Alternative Fuels L.C. face a possible 180 days in jail and/or a fine of not less than $1,000 or more than $25,000.

“The jury’s decision affirms that the people of the State of Michigan are not willing to stand aside and watch their public health and the environment be put at risk,” said Department of Environmental Quality Director Steven E. Chester.

Editor’s note: DEQ news releases are available on the department’s Internet home page at www.michigan.gov/deq.

Revised January 14, 2005 by Pat Watson