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Two Minnesota men have been ordered to pay over $1.1 million after they caused a diesel fuel leak in a creek.
According to the Star Tribune, on Wednesday (October 6), 25-year-old Eric J. Weckwerth-Pineda and 22-year-old Tanner J. Sik were sentenced after pleading guilty to misdemeanor negligent discharge of a pollutant for an incident that caused a diesel fuel leak on April 24, 2019, near Cottonwood Lake.
Federal court documents show that both men took guns to a bridge between Cottonwood Lake and a creek. Sik fired his AR-15 rifle and hit the pipeline at least three times while Weckwerth-Pineda used "the scope on his own rifle to spot [Sik's] shots" to help guide Sik's aim.
At a later date, both men returned to the same shooting spot and brought a friend. All three "could see a sheen, across the creek and the pipeline was spraying diesel fuel," a court filing reports. The friend they had brought alerted the authorities about the leak.
In a public accounting of the incident, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency said "that section [of pipeline] fell victim to target practice by some joyriders and sprung a leak," the Star Tribune reported.
Weckwerth-Pineda was quoted telling an investigator that they became bored while shooting and decided to "try and hit that pipe."
The owner of the pipeline estimated that at least 3,906 gallons of diesel fuel leaked into the lake. They also added that cleanup and repairs were more than $1.12 million as well as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency spending over $16,000 to help clean up the leak.
In an interview with the Star Tribune, Weckwerth-Pineda stated, "I regret it. I feel horrible. I do a lot of hunting and help build things to help creatures survive in that area, and unfortunately [the leak] will harm those creatures. I was in the wrong place with the wrong person who decided to make one bad call. And well, if you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes."
Sik's attorney released a statement on Thursday (October 7), quoting Sik, saying, "I've always loved the outdoors, hunting and fishing with my family. The beauty of Minnesota is incredible. I can't say enough how sorry I am for what I did and how much I regret it. I think about this every day and wish I could take it back."
Along with paying over $1.1 million, both men were also put on a year's probation.