[StBernard] SDT's investigator says waste dumped as sabotage

[Westley Annis]

SDT's investigator says waste dumped as sabotage
by Chris Kirkham, The Times-Picayune 
Friday November 21, 2008, 9:50 PM
A private investigator hired by SDT Waste & Debris says an employee
intentionally sabotaged the company by illegally dumping portable toilet
waste into sewage systems in and near New Orleans' City Park, then taking
the story to a local media outlet.

Terrell Miceli, the investigator brought on by SDT owner Sidney Torres IV
earlier this month, identified Phillip Barbarin as the employee primarily
responsible for the dumping.

"My investigation reveals not one person in the company told him to do this,
" said Miceli, who has spoken with five managers who were working over the
weekend of the VooDoo Music Experience, when the illegal dumping happened on
three separate nights.

Miceli said two trucks were responsible for the dumping and that the other
driver followed Barbarin's lead.

Miceli said that Barbarin had worked for SDT in 2007 before being fired by
the company after being cited for reckless driving on company time. He had
been back with SDT for less than a week when the dumping occurred. Just
prior to rejoining SDT Barbarin had worked for about a month for River
Parish Disposal, another local garbage hauler.

Barbarin said he had orders from two separate SDT managers, Leander Nunez
and Vice President of Operations Jason McDaniel, to dump portable toilet
waste into nearby sewer systems. He said that was an unusual request by
company standards.

"That was the first time we ever did that, man, " Barbarin said. "That's why
all the drivers were suspicious, man."

Nunez and McDaniel could not be reached for comment.

Barbarin denied that he was the unnamed driver on a WWL-TV news report
earlier this week who pointed out where the human waste was dumped in a
sewer manhole near Tad Gormley Stadium in City Park.

WWL News Director Chris Slaughter said the station stands by its story and
reporting.

"I'm 100 percent confident that our journalism is sound on this story, and
we were working on this on our own, " Slaughter said Friday.

Slaughter also said the station would not reveal its source on the toilet
waste dumping. In the station's story, the SDT informant is not shown, and
his voice is altered.

Barbarin said there are several other locations where SDT illegally dumped
toilet waste.

The state Department of Environmental Quality is looking into the New
Orleans dumping by SDT, which occurred in three separate spots: the manhole
in City Park; a sewer drain at Ulloa and Murat streets; and another drain on
Gov. Nicholls Street near Claiborne Avenue.

Jeff Dauzat, a DEQ environmental scientist who is investigating the dumping,
said he plans to meet with the drivers and managers who would have been
involved. He also said he is requesting all the interview materials compiled
by Miceli.

Torres said he is cooperating with the DEQ probe.

As of Friday night, Barbarin had been taken off his driving shift and
reassigned to the SDT waste yard in Chalmette. Miceli said SDT did not want
to discharge him until company lawyers are certain they wouldn't be subject
to a federal whistleblower lawsuit, since they believe Barbarin went to WWL
about the illegal dumping.