Local Roofer Gets 90 Days in Jail for Abandoning Paint Cans at Peninsula Storage Units

By Bay City News Service:

A San Mateo roofer accused of abandoning trash paint cans at storage facilities in Burlingame and Redwood City pleaded no contest Wednesday to two felony counts of illegal disposal of hazardous waste, according to San Mateo County prosecutors.

Willis Unga, 64, entered the plea in the courtroom of Judge Leland Davis and was sentenced to 90 days in jail and three years’ probation.

Unga was arrested after he rented three storage spaces at two facilities in Redwood City and Burlingame on June 25 and July 2, 2013, paid the first month’s rent and then stopped returning calls from the two storage companies, prosecutors said.

When staff at the two facilities opened the units, they found them stacked to the ceiling with paint cans, which qualifies as hazardous waste, according to prosecutors. The two facilities lost $88,880 in lost rent and clean-up costs.

One facility also found other hazardous materials such as ammonia, industrial cleaning agents and coating stripper stored in the unit.

Unga had previously been warned about storage of paint cans in 2009, when he had a large quantity of paint containers stored at his business, Unga Roofing at 960 David Road in Burlingame.

County Environmental Health Division investigators found that, despite the warnings, the paint remained at his business two years later as well, prosecutors said.

Unga was originally charged with two counts each of treating or storing hazardous waste at an unauthorized facility, disposing of hazardous waste at an unauthorized facility, depositing hazardous material on the property of another, commercial burglary and grand theft, according to prosecutors.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges last week but changed his plea at the hearing Wednesday. Unga will return to court May 15 for a restitution hearing.

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