2 face felony charges over use of pesticide

OAKDALE, Calif. (AP) — The co-owner and a manager of a nut company face felony charges after a hose ruptured and sprayed an almond orchard worker with pesticide, causing life-threatening injuries.

The two men are the first employees of a California company in more than a decade to face criminal charges for improperly using pesticides, according to the state Department of Pesticide Regulation.

"We looked at ourselves and said, 'We can do some things better,' " said Mary-Ann Warmerdam, the department's director.

The worker, Arturo Becerra, told investigators he was sprayed in March 2004 when a brittle hose broke for the second time in as many days at Golden West Nuts, a grower and processor in Oakdale, a farming community about 90 miles east of San Francisco. His supervisor ordered him to patch the hose and continue spraying, investigators said.