A Stockton man was sentenced last month, to the maximum term of six years in state prison for illegally dumping waste oil into the Smith Canal.
David Sump, 52, was convicted of multiple felonies and misdemeanors for deliberately spilling oil into the Smith Canal, according to the San Joaquin County District Attorney Office.
SJ County Superior Court Judge Xapuri Villapudua handed down the max sentence on March 23 of three years for the offenses, which was doubled to six years because of Sump’s prior felony conviction, a first strike under California state law.
Sump will serve his sentence at a California state prison.
In addition to his prison term, the court ordered Sump to pay more than $94,000 in restitution — $52,675.94 to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and $41,441.18 to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — to cover costs related to the environmental harm caused by the spill.
In late September 2024, Sump dumped approximately 280 gallons of petroleum product near the Smith Canal on Shimizu Drive near the Country Club area of Stockton.
During sentencing, Judge Villapudua highlighted the seriousness of the offense and its impact on the community.
The oil contaminated the embankment and flowed into the canal, though quick response by multiple agencies prevented it from reaching the San Joaquin River, according to the district attorney’s office. Crews ultimately recovered about 225 gallons of oil.
The investigation was led by California Department of Fish and Wildlife Warden Ryan Rodriguez, with assistance from the Stockton Police Department and San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office.
Multiple agencies responded Sept. 28 to a report of an oil spill near Smith Canal in Stockton. The U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies responded to the incident, recovering oil from the waterway and removing tainted soil along the canal, the CDFW said in a news release.
“This was a calculated and hazardous act of environmental destruction,” District Attorney Ron Freitas said in a statement in March. “By dumping hundreds of gallons of toxic waste into our waterways, the defendant showed a complete disregard for the health of our residents and our ecosystem.”
A jury convicted Sump on felony charges in March that included destruction of public property/vandalism, knowingly discharging a pollutant into waters of the state, and illegal disposal of hazardous waste.
“The defendant’s actions showed a blatant disregard for the environment and for the people whose livelihoods depend on the Delta,” District Attorney Ron Freitas said in a statement. “This was preventable, and the damage was significant. A maximum sentence was not only appropriate — it was necessary to underscore that this kind of conduct will not be tolerated in San Joaquin County.”