Trucker indicted for chemical dump that prompted HAZMAT response
NEW PHILADELPHIA (WJER) (March 14, 2023) – We now know who authorities believe dumped the chemical that created a vapor cloud over the west end of New Philadelphia a couple of years ago.
Glenn T. Long of Kingsville, Ohio, is charged in Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Court with inducing panic; vandalism; and illegally storing, treating, or disposing of hazardous waste. The indictment against him says the crimes occurred in Tuscarawas County on or about September 2nd, 2020. That’s when the cloud appeared over Eagle Truck stop, prompting a multi-agency HAZMAT response and the temporary closure of the highway on and off ramps. Investigators ended up finding a substance they believed to be hydrochloric acid in a ditch behind the truck stop. The owners provided surveillance video of the truck that dumped it to firefighters, who turned the case over to the Ohio EPA and Public Utilities Commission.
Long made his first court appearance this afternoon and pleaded not guilty to the charges.