The owners of a metal salvage and recycling yard adjacent to Jordan High School in Watts face a bail hearing Monday on charges they illegally disposed of hazardous waste — some of which was allegedly deposited on the grounds of the school.
Gary Weisenberg, 78, of Encino, and Matthew Weisenberg, 37, of Los Angeles, were ordered to be taken into custody without bail Thursday after being charged in 2023 along with their company, S&W Atlas Iron and Metal Corp., on 25 counts.
The charges include knowingly disposing hazardous waste at a site with no permit, deposit of hazardous waste, failure to maintain or operate a facility to minimize the possibility of a fire or explosion, and public nuisance.
The Los Angeles Times reported that prosecutors filed a motion contending the two violated the terms of their release on their own recognizance after an investigation by the California Department of Toxic Substances determined several containers of acetylene — a highly flammable gas — were on the property.
One of the Weisenbergs’ attorneys, Benjamin Gluck, told Superior Court Judge Terry Bork that “there is evidence of a real effort to comply,” according to the Times.
In 2023, then-District Attorney George Gascón announced the initial criminal filing, with a grand jury indictment being handed up last year shortly after an Aug. 12 explosion occurred at the property as students arrived at the nearby school for their first day of classes. No one was injured in the fiery blast, according to the District Attorney’s Office
Soil samples taken from an area at the high school adjacent to the Atlas facility “showed excessive concentrations of lead and zinc,” according to the D.A.’s office, which alleged that samples taken at Atlas found excessive concentrations of seven metals.
Prosecutors also contend that metal debris believed to have originated from the Atlas facility was found on the school grounds.
In a statement released on behalf of the company and the Weisenbergs in 2023, Gluck said that they were “disappointed to see the charges.”
“Atlas is actively working with the many public agencies involved and is actually moving close to a global resolution,” Gluck said then. “The district attorney declined to engage with us and chose instead to file charges. … We will defend this case vigorously.”
The criminal case marked the latest legal entanglement for the company, which was sued in 2020 by the Los Angeles Unified School District. The federal lawsuit alleges hazardous substances, waste and fumes from the salvage yard were endangering students and faculty at Jordan High. The suit even contended that a pair of explosions in 2002 sent metal shrapnel raining onto the campus.
“The young students at Jordan High School should never have been put in harm’s way,” new District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement released Thursday after the Weisenbergs were taken into custody.
“This case is progressing toward justice for the children, educators and community members who were endangered by this explosion. No business has the right to recklessly jeopardize public safety, and we will continue to hold those responsible accountable.”