A Des Moines man was arrested on a Dallas County warrant Tuesday in connection with an incident on Saturday in which he allegedly dumped some 4,000 gallons of diesel fuel onto the grounds of a Waukee ag-service dealership at which he was a disgruntled former employee.
Aaron Wayne Peek, 36, of 3908 S.E. 25th St., Des Moines, was charged with trespass with injury, first-degree theft and first-degree criminal mischief.
The incident began about 10:30 p.m. Saturday in the 27000 block of U Avenue in Waukee, where a patrolling officer of the Waukee Police Department could “smell the odor of
fuel in the air” in the vicinity of the ag-services business.
Investigation determined that someone “had pumped a large amount of diesel fuel onto the ground” at the property, according to court records.
The Waukee Fire Department and Dallas County Sheriff’s office assisted in the investigation, which concluded that some “3,700 to 4,000 gallons of diesel fuel had been pumped from the bulk fuel tank,” according to court records.
According to court records, a review of surveillance video from the property allegedly showed Peek, “a previous employee of the company,” as he “enters the property, walks around the bulk fuel tank, then to a shop on the property,” where he stops to “speak briefly” with a worker in the shop.
Peek then “exits the building, walking directly to the bulk fuel tanks,” where “one can hear the two pumps activate at different times as” Peek allegedly “activates the pump handles and walks out of view on the video,” according to court records.
The value of the spent fuel was estimated at more than $10,000, and the “initial estimate for remediating the property” was $137,000, which “does not include the additional
environmental impact outside” the property.
A warrant for Peek’s arrest was ordered Tuesday in Dallas County District Court and served Tuesday. Peek is held in the Dallas County Jail on a $10,000 cash or surety bond. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing May 16 in Dallas County District Court.
A statement issued Wednesday morning by the Dallas County Sheriff’s office said the Dallas County Emergency Management Agency and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) are working with affected property owner and “numerous local agencies” to mitigate the diesel spill. More information is available on the Iowa DNR website.
*A criminal charge is merely an accusation, the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
