Photo courtesy Harris County AttorneyHere's something relatively new: A Harris County polluter is going to jail.Vince Ryan, the new Harris County Attorney, has decided to make pollution a priority, and he went after the owner of a northside auto-parts salvage company that had been dragging its legs on cleaning up and paying fines.He convinced district judge Tony Lindsay that the polluter was in contempt of a court order mandating clean-up, and so Luis Ortiz will now be spending five days in jail
Photo courtesy Harris County Attorney's officeLuis Ortiz, the polluter who was sentenced to five days' jail time for failing to clean up his auto-salvage business, went behind bars today after a last-ditch effort to stay free.Ella Tyler of the county attorney's office tells Hair Balls district judge Tony Lindsay ordered Ortiz to begin his sentence even though much of the clean-up has been done."It's been a long, long time getting it," she says.Ortiz and the county have been fighting for three ye
A bad day for Spec's -- a (minor) fire this morning -- and now the closing of the Washington Avenue store.Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan has just sent out a notice that the Spec's, which has been embroiled over permits and how close it is to a school, is closed.His release: Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan announced today that the Spec's Liquors and Spec's Wines, Beers, and Finer Foods stores at 6010 Washington Avenue, Houston, have closed. The company agreed to a cancelation of its permits
