New Twist in Salinas Asbestos Case

January 5, 2007 - California State Attorney General Bill Lockyer has decided to drop charges against a construction project manager who exposed dozens of people to asbestos at the Salinas County Courthouse in Northern California.

According to the Monterey Herald, Nova Partners, who was responsible for ongoing renovations at the courthouse, ignored warnings and began demolition that released asbestos into the courthouse's ventilation system, endangering workers and the general public by causing the possible inhalation of asbestos fibers. 

Specifically, Nova ordered workers to jackhammer and saw through the concrete floor of the second story of the north wing, knocking asbestos loose onto the ceiling of the first story.  The area between the two floors contains the air-intake for the building's ventilation system, explain building maintenance officials.  The entire north wing is now closed and has been since September of this past year.

The attorney general’s office originally planned to prosecute Nova’s project manager, Seth Henderson, for his role in the fiasco.  But this week, Lockyer asked that the charges be dropped “in the interest of justice.”  In March 2006, the office indicted Nova Partners and Henderson as well as Skanska USA and their project manager, Anthony Jones, on eight felony and five misdemeanor charges related to illegal handling of asbestos.

In return for the dismissal of charges, Henderson has agreed to testify against his employer.  Skanska, the project's construction manager, pleaded no contest to four misdemeanor charges in November in return for a $750,000 fine. Charges against Jones were dismissed after he, too, agreed to testify for the prosecution, said Deputy District Attorney Brett Morris.