Criminal Charges Filed Over Pesticide Use
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SACRAMENTO — Criminal charges have been filed in San Joaquin County against a grape grower accused of using the pesticide DBCP, the state Department of Food and Agriculture disclosed Monday.
Jim Wells, chief of the state pesticide enforcement branch, said that it appears to have been an isolated incident.
“We have vigorously investigated all rumors of DBCP use,” he said, “but this is the first verified use we have seen in the last three years.”
He said the San Joaquin County district attorney filed charges against Patrick Stocker after investigators reported finding residues of the banned pesticide in the spray tank on his vineyard.
The investigation began after a worker became ill while cleaning equipment that had been rented by Stocker.
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