Starke Circuit Judge Kim Hall this week issued a bench warrant for a Knox business owner who is alleged to have violated a court order. James Campbell, who owns multiple businesses at the southwest corner of U.S. 35 and Toto Road, has failed to submit a site assessment plan to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, according to the court filing. That requirement was part of an Oct. 31, 2013 agreed order that was incorporated into a June 15, 2016 document.
IDEM also contends solid waste has not been removed from the site, and proper disposal has not been documented. Photos taken by an IDEM inspector during an Aug. 2, 2016 site inspection were submitted as evidence during Monday’s hearing.
There’s also no documentation of the implementation of a safety program related to mercury switches, as required by law, according to the IDEM filing. Also, Campbell has only paid $9,000 of a required $14,000 civil penalty, according to court documents.
Neither Campbell nor his attorneys attended Monday’s show cause hearing. Starke Circuit Judge Kim Hall agreed to find Campbell in contempt of court and issued a bench warrant for his arrest. The state’s attorney in charge of the case assured the judge he could be in Starke County for an emergency hearing on the matter within 24 to 48 hours.
