Pacoima : Shipping Firm Faces Criminal Charges

A Pacoima shipping company has been charged in two separate incidents with the unsafe transport of hazardous materials, City Atty. James K. Hahn announced this week.

Named in the three-count criminal complaint are Viking Freight Systems and employee Scott James Milroy, 35, of North Hollywood.

In the first incident, a police officer spotted a person rolling a metal drum out of traffic lanes on Paxton Street near the intersection of San Fernando Road in Pacoima, according to Deputy City Atty. Brooke White, who is handling the case.

The officer suspected that the drum contained poisonous copper cyanide, and closed the street. The area was cleared, and the Los Angeles Fire Department was called to handle the substance.

The complaint alleges that Milroy loaded the drum, which was traced to Viking through an attached packing slip, into the Viking truck without properly securing it. While in transit, the complaint says, the drum rolled off the truck and onto the street.

Both Viking and Milroy are charged with a single count of knowingly depositing hazardous materials upon a street, punishable by up to a year in jail for Milroy and a $10,000 fine each for Viking and Milroy.

In the second incident, a police officer in the Environmental Crimes Unit inspected a Viking truck near the intersection of Figueroa and 146th streets and allegedly found that a shipment of paint was unsecured, which would allow it to shift during transport and create a safety hazard.

Viking was charged with a single count of failing to secure the cargo in accordance with hazardous material transportation safety regulations, officials said.

The offense carries a $1,000 fine. Arraignment is scheduled Jan. 10.