Civil Case Against Plainfield Farmer Will Continue

With the unexpected passing of Plainfield farmer Herman Fritz July 10, the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office said it plans to move forward with making sure the property is cleaned up.

Will County State’s Attorney’s Office Spokesperson Charles Pelkie said they’re making a determination on exactly how to proceed.

“We’re determining how we’re going to move forward,” Pelkie said. “The goal remains the same in regard to the civil action, which is to make certain that the property is cleaned up and make sure that any debris there that’s been dumped over the years is removed and the property is clean.”

With Fritz’s recent passing, Pelkie said they want to make sure the family is given time to make appropriate arrangements and to grieve, but a civil suit will move forward.

“The intent of the civil suit was to make certain that the taxpayers are not accountable and those who are responsible for the dumping are held accountable and foot the bill for the cleanup of their property,” Pelkie said. “That remains the case here.”

Who exactly would be responsible, though, is one of the issues the attorney’s office is examining.

“Where does the ownership of the property transfer to and how do we proceed,” Pelkie said. “Those are the issues we’re determining right now.”

There’s no clear timeline on when the review will be complete.

“We’re going to move forward as expeditiously as possible,” Pelkie said.

Fritz had turned himself in to the Plainfield Police in May after a 10-count criminal complaint was filed against him. He posted bond and was released. He turned himself in again June 19 after a warrant was issued for his arrest when he missed his arraignment scheduled for June 12, according to The Daily-Herald. He was out on bond when he got into the traffic crash.

The complaint alleged that during November and December, Fritz dumped “more than 250 cubic feet of waste,” including “dirt, landscape waste, scrap metal, cardboard, bricks, asphalt, concrete” and other debris on his Fritz Road farm.

In November of 2014, prosecutors secured a civil injunction forbidding Fritz from dumping on his property.