A father and son are accused of intentionally releasing thousands of gallons (liters) of oil from a company where they had worked into two streams in the Allegheny National Forest, killing an unknown number of fish, reptiles and amphibians.
Police said Andrew Horton dropped off his son Christopher at tanks where the younger man opened valves and damaged equipment, spilling at least 10,000 gallons (37,850 liters) of oil sometime Saturday or Sunday.
According to state police, Christopher Horton, 22, opened valves on about 20 of Snyder Brothers Inc.'s oil tanks. He also smashed eight meter boxes worth about $2,000 each on the tanks and damaged a generator valued at about $500,000, police said.
The Hortons had been employees of Snyder Brothers, but the company would not comment on their employment status or a possible motive.
About 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) of Indian Run and about 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) of Chappel Fork were polluted by the spill, said Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman Freda Tarbell.
"What makes this especially painful, however, is that Chappel Fork is one of the very rare places in Pennsylvania where wild trout naturally reproduce," Tarbell said.
Christopher Horton was charged with causing a catastrophe, risking a catastrophe and related crimes. Andrew Horton, 42, was charged with conspiracy to cause a catastrophe, liability of the conduct of another and related offenses.
