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Lawyer Says Teen Who Caused Ammonia Leak Needs Time

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By VALERIE KALFRIN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 16, 2007

Updated: 11/16/2007 03:46 pm

TAMPA - A lawyer representing the 16-year-old boy authorities say punctured an ammonia pipeline in Riverview on Monday while drilling for money said he hopes people will "take a deep breath" and allow the boy to recover before pursuing a criminal case.

Sandy Weinberg of Tampa represents the youth, who has not been identified by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. The teenager was with two other teens Monday when he drilled into the pipe after hearing a story about money buried near the Alafia River, authorities said.

The 16-year-old was "seriously burned" over nearly 20 percent of his body after puncturing the pipeline, Weinberg said.
The ammonia cloud that was released forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents.

"Right now the family and he are trying to focus on him getting better," Weinberg said. "Unfortunately, he's going to be laid up for a while."

The boy turned 16 a few weeks ago and never has been in trouble, Weinberg said.

"We certainly don't believe there was any intent to commit a criminal act," Weinberg said. "Hopefully, everyone will take a deep breath and allow him to get better."

Michael Eubanks, an uncle of the two teens who were with the 16-year-old, said Thursday that the boys had heard a story about a convict, Bobby Fellion, 28, burying money near the Alafia River before committing suicide. Eubanks said Fellion's sister told the boys this story.

Weinberg said he did not know how the 16-year-old knew Fellion.

Meanwhile, county environmental scientists confirmed a fish kill related to the ammonia leak occurred early in the week downstream from the U.S. 301 bridge. Most of the fish were bait fish such as sardines, anchovies, killifish and some small mullet.

Richard Boler, an environmental scientist with the county Environmental Protection Commission, called the fish kill "fairly substantial," saying bait fish travel in schools and are more likely to be killed by exposure to ammonia.

"The guy who alerted us estimated it was in the thousands of fish, and that's probably consistent with what you see with a kill of bait fish," Boler said.

"So we don't anticipate any more toxic effects from the ammonia," he said.

Boler said the ammonia, which is a form of nitrogen, still could fuel a large algae bloom in the near future. Algae blooms can kill large numbers of fish by depleting oxygen in the water. Boler said scientists have detected higher-than-normal levels of the microscopic plants that form the blooms, but that it's still too early to tell if that will translate into an algae bloom.

Reporter Mike Salinero contributed to this report. Reporter Valerie Kalfrin can be reached at (813) 259-7800 or vkalfrin@tampatrib.com.

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