MAY 14, 2015
WHIDBEY ISLAND, WASHINGTON
The Department of Justice says the man who abandoned his
boat in Penn Cove hasn't paid anything toward the cleanup.
Rory Westmoreland owes $2.8 million.
According to the Seattle Times, a federal complaint blames
Westmoreland for the oil spill that closed a shellfish farm.
The boat was illegally anchored when it caught fire and sank
in 2012.
Westmoreland is no stranger to controversy. Last spring, he
was charged with storing toxic chemicals in leaking metal drums in Renton.
Officials say the chemicals put well water in danger and
killed the grass.
He was sentenced to 60 days in jail and fined $127,000 in
February.