DAYTON, Texas – A judge has ordered a mediator to work things out between an oil well management company and the people living on the land claiming there are leaks.
We first told you about the claims of a leaking oil pipe on one property and now six people are charged with vandalizing equipment.
Attorneys for Jay Management Company filed a motion for sanctions and Harris County Judge Lauren Reeder did not issue a ruling. After meeting with the attorneys in her private chamber, she told the courtroom she wasn’t going to hear any evidence in the case. The hearing lasted about an hour.
Miguel Cano represents the accused and said it’s a sad situation.
“As many may know, some folks in that community are undocumented, so going to jail on these weak, weak charges with little to no suspect evidence, it leads to them facing deportation,” he said.
Jay Management believes the arrest came from a July 9 incident after a homeowner shared video with KPRC 2 of what appears to be a new leak on his property.
Jay Management said,
Ironically, the spill came from a pipe that was not being used. It appeared the pipe was intentionally damaged, and a valve was turned on to create the spill.
Out of the 132 active wells, Jay Management says there are no active spills or issues with wells on the Dayton resident’s property.
“What I hope that comes out of this situation is that we can reach an agreement. We filed this claim because we believe in our clients. We have been out there, and we have seen the damages firsthand. We hope that Jay Management will admit to this and offer something at mediation that will make our clients whole again,” he said.
Jay Management issued a statement about today’s hearing:
“We abide by Judge Reeder’s decision to appoint a special magistrate to oversee the walkthrough of property in question and await her ruling on Jay Management’s Motion for Sanctions.”
Attorneys from both sides are scheduled to meet with a mediator in the next few weeks. Attorney Cano said two of their clients are still in jail.
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