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The Bear Creek in Warren turned “bright fluorescent green/blue on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024,” after contaminants from a former commercial metal finishing building in Warren were dumped in a storm drain.
File photo provided by Macomb County Public Works Office
WARREN — Two men were sentenced for charges related to hazardous waste violations that caused the Bear Creek in Warren to turn blue.
On Thursday, July 3, Saad Somo, 50, of Washington Township, and Marvan Talal-Razooqi Batoo, 40, of Shelby Township, pleaded no contest to one count of hazardous waste — operating a facility without a license, one count of hazardous waste — generator and facility operator records and attempted water resources protection violation, each of which are one-year misdemeanors, and liquid industrial waste — general violation, a six-month misdemeanor.
Representatives from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources agreed with the final plea offer after both men cooperated with the DNR, as well as the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, to rectify the spill, according to a press release from the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office.
Their cooperation required both Somo and Batoo to pay over $172,000 in remediation costs. This resulted in a charge of water resources protection violation, a two-year felony, against each man being dismissed once the attempted water resources protection violation charge was added.
After both pleas were entered, 37th District Court Judge John Chmura sentenced each man to pay fines, costs and a special assessment totaling $3,500, despite Assistant Prosecutor Lisa Lozen arguing that both men should receive probation, the press release states.
The charges came after the Bear Creek in Warren turned a “bright fluorescent green/blue on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024,” according to the release.
“The source of the contamination was found to be a former metal finishing commercial building in Warren owned by Somo and Batoo,” the release states. “The building was not heated, resulting in frozen water lines breaking and stored chemicals being spilled.”
The release states the two men disposed of the chemicals through a storm drain.
“Reckless handling of hazardous chemicals poses a serious threat to both public health and our environment,” Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido said in a statement.
Attorney Amir Makled, who represented both men, did not return a request for comment.
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