Wisconsin Department of Justice
P.O. Box 7857
Madison, WI 53707-7857

PEG LAUTENSCHLAGER
ATTORNEY GENERAL
For More Information Contact:
Kelly Kennedy
608/266-7876

Madison, WI – November 1, 2005

Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager announced today that Richard Alexander, doing business as Rick’s Mosquito Control Service, has been ordered by Walworth County Judge James Carlson to pay a total of $11,143 in forfeitures and surcharges for violations of Wisconsin’s laws that regulate the use of pesticides.

Rick’s Mosquito Control Service had sprayed for mosquitoes on land without the required license from Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP), and had conducted chemical treatments in Wisconsin waters without the required Department of Natural Resources (DNR) permit. The violations spanned a period of several years, and the un-permitted treatments were conducted at the Prairie Woods Golf Course in Avalon, the Driehaus Estate in Lake Geneva, and the Grand Geneva Resort and Spa in Lake Geneva.

“Applying toxic pesticides to public waters without strict conditions and limitations can expose people and non-target organisms to unnecessary and potentially harmful effects, Lautenschlager said. Strict compliance with permit conditions assures that proper applications are made and adverse effects are avoided or minimized.”

The Court granted the State of Wisconsin’s motion for summary judgment, finding that the defendant is liable for violations of all six claims alleged in the complaint. The Court ordered the defendant to pay $8,750 in forfeitures and $2,393 in statutory surcharges.

The Department of Justice brought the case at the request of the DNR and DATCP. Assistant Attorney General Lorraine Stoltzfus represented the state.