Hog manure spill leads to warnings, jail time by Stephen A. Martin The Hawk Eye December 28, 2001 CARTHAGE, Ill. -- One of two men responsible for a March 2000 spill of hog manure has been sentenced to 60 days in jail and ordered to warn others in a farming publication. Gary Jackson, 58, Ursa, Ill., will have to put an ad in AgriNews, Prairie Farmer or Farm Week telling his fellow hog confinement operators, "releasing animal waste into a waterway can lead to a criminal conviction, including jail time." The ad will have to be at least one-eighth of a page, a Hancock County Circuit Court order from the week of Dec. 14 states. Jackson pleaded guilty to water pollution. In addition to jail time and the advertisement, he was put on probation for 18 months and ordered to pay $3,000 to the Illinois Environmental Protection Trust Fund. Fellow farmer Todd Jackson, 33, Ursa, Ill., also pleaded guilty to water pollution. He was put on probation for 18 months and also ordered to pay $3,000 into the trust fund. The two will share the cost of cleaning up the contaminated area downstream from the confinement. Authorities said the two are to blame for a spill of hog waste near Sutter, Ill., just north of the Hancock County line. State authorities investigated and aided in prosecution, said Assistant Hancock County State's Attorney John Melidis. Back to Main Index Page