Columbia Packing, executives, indicted in pollution investigation
Columbia Packing Co. and two of its executives have been handed 18 indictments in a case of water pollution and posisble evidence tampering. The company could face a fine of up to $1.5 million and the executives sent to prison if found guilty of the charges of dumping pigs' blood into the Trinity River, reports the Dallas Morning News.
A tipster using a remote-controlled plane took photos of a blood-stained creek bed, starting a local, state and federal investigation into the 80-year-old facility. Authorities raided the plant in January and said they discovered a hidden pipe used to bypass a sewer monitoring device. Columbia acknowledged that the plant had flushed blood and other waste into the creek but blamed it on bad plumbing.