Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson is defending her office’s decision to drop charges against a West Oakland scrap metal processing plant, saying the case didn’t meet the burden of proof needed to convict.
Last July, under former District Attorney Pamela Price, a grand jury indicted Radius Recycling — formerly Schnitzer Steel — and two senior employees, Daniel Woltman and Dane Morales, on 10 counts following a fire two years ago that sent toxic smoke over the East Bay.
At a press conference on Thursday marking her 100th day as district attorney, Jones Dickson said she opted to dismiss the charges as her office is looking over all cases under the Consumer and Environmental Protection Division.
“After review of the case by individuals who have a lot of years of experience, we could not find a way to prove that case beyond a reasonable doubt,” Jones Dickson said. “We cannot move forward ethically on a case that we cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt. It’s unfortunate that the charging of that case was such that we could not.”