An oil hauler who spilled hazardous waste into the largest wetland refuge in Southern California, killing dozens of birds and offering a sharp reminder about the fragility of the region's ecology, pleaded guilty Wednesday and was sentenced to 45 days in jail.
In addition to the jail sentence, Richard Ogle Sr., 63, will pay a $20,000 fine, most of which will be routed to wildlife rescue and rehabilitation agencies. He will also serve 200 hours of community service, half of it at the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center of Orange County.
At an afternoon court appearance, Ogle entered his guilty plea on a felony charge of discharging a pollutant into navigable waters and three misdemeanors: killing a migratory bird, killing a protected brown pelican and failing to oversee proper storage of hazardous waste.
He was also sentenced to five years of probation and, through a separate agreement with state environmental regulators, has forfeited his license to handle hazardous waste.
Attorneys on both sides of the case agreed that Ogle, who had no prior record, will spend his "jail" sentence on home detention.
"He's not in this line of work anymore," said his Brea defense attorney, Dean Hall. "There were various forms of punishment, and the one that really isn't needed is for him to be behind bars. He's a solid citizen and he appreciates the seriousness of this."
Hall directed Ogle not to talk to the press about the case. A representative reached at Ogle's Santa Ana company, Dick's Vacuum Truck Service--which has been turned over to his son, Richard Ogle Jr.--would not comment.
On Dec. 13, 1998, Ogle Sr. went to a maintenance yard run by the city of Garden Grove. Ogle had a contract with the city to remove debris and waste, including waste oil, at the yard, prosecutors said.
But instead of sucking out the waste and taking it to a licensed handler, Ogle dumped 200 gallons of spent oil into the yard's storm drain, the district attorney's office charged. The waste wound its way through 13 miles of pipes and spilled into the Bolsa Chica preserve.
The largest wetlands remaining in Southern California, Bolsa Chica has become a gathering place for wildlife, including waterfowl. Investigators confirmed that more than 50 birds--including coots, grebes and ducks--died within a week of the spill. Scientists surmised that hundreds more might have died without being found.
