Officials: WL man's hazardous mess cost $600,000

WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. (AP) — Authorities say a Windsor Locks business owner charged with violating state hazardous waste laws left behind barrels of cyanide and other dangerous materials almost a year after his business closed in 2007, costing the state and federal government $600,000 in cleanup costs.

Donald Cunningham, formerly of Middletown, has been charged with operating an illegal solid waste facility, disposal of hazardous waste without a permit, placing another person in imminent danger of death, failure to maintain waste records, and 23 counts of failure to pay wages.

Cunningham was arraigned in Enfield Superior Court and remains held in lieu of $350,000 bond.

The Journal Inquirer reports that police arrested Cunningham on two warrants June 7. Cunningham was extradited to Connecticut after he was arrested in Maine trying to cross into New Brunswick, Canada.

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Information from: Journal Inquirer

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