The environmental trial of two Elk City, Oklahoma city officials has ended in a guilty verdict. According to a press release issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), on Monday a federal jury found City Manager, Guy R. Hylton, Jr. and building superintendent, Chick Arthur Little guilty of negligently allowing the release of asbestos. The case stems from the city's 2003 renovation of the old Elk City Railroad Depot. The depot, originally built in the early 1900's, contained asbestos insulation. Pursuant to evidence presented at trial, Hylton and Little knowingly used inmates from the Elk City Work Center to remove the asbestos without providing them with the proper protective clothing or adequate safety measures, negligently releasing asbestos into the air and exposing the inmates and the public to a hazardous, cancer-causing material. The jury also found Little guilty of lying to investigators about the disposal of the asbestos. Both defendants were found not guilty of illegally disposing of asbestos. A sentencing hearing for Hylton and Little will take place in approximately 90 days. Hylton could receive up to a year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000 while Little faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

For more information, click here.