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Ex Sebring, Ohio, water official pleads innocent

July 28, 2016

Charges were brought by the state earlier this year over reports of lead in the drinking water.

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SEBRING, OHIO, JULY 28, 2016 -- The Youngstown Vindicator is reporting that James V. Bates, the former water-system operator in a town in the midst of a drinking water crisis, has entered a written innocent plea to three criminal counts.

Charges were brought against Bates by the state earlier this year over reports of lead in the drinking water. He faces three misdemeanor counts; two for "recklessly failing to provide timely notice of individual lead tap-water test results to affected consumers" and one for "recklessly failing to provide timely system-wide public education."

Each count is a misdemeanor, and could result in up to four years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine for each day of violation, according to the local paper.

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