AG Brown announced that Skyline Tower Painting, Inc. (a Colorado Corporation) and its President, Christopher Mecklem, 43, of Scottsbluff, Nebraska, each pleaded guilty to criminal violations of Maryland’s environmental laws for the illegal dispersal and disposal of lead-containing paint in Baltimore City in June 2022. The investigation was led by the Attorney General’s Environmental and Natural Resources Crimes Unit (ENRCU). 

Between May 28, 2022, and June 21, 2022, Skyline worked on the candelabra television tower, known as the 888’ triple candelabra tower, located at 3723 Malden Avenue in Baltimore City, Maryland. The tower is owned and operated by Television Tower, Inc. (TTI), a company owned and managed by three Baltimore-area television stations: WBAL, WJZ, and WMAR. The television tower is situated in a mixed residential and commercial neighborhood, approximately 400 yards from the Jones Falls River.  

Skyline used power washers to remove the existing lead-containing paint. Skyline employees scraped and power washed the tower without using containment measures or vacuums. Videos and photographs taken by nearby residents showed that they were not using any containment or mechanism to collect the waste that was being generated. During that time period, red paint chips generated from the work were dropped onto residential neighborhoods, businesses, roadways, forested areas, playgrounds, a community garden, and a daycare within an approximate one-half mile radius of the tower. 

“These reckless actions exposed children to dangerous lead paint chips, contaminating Baltimore playgrounds, yards, and even a daycare center. These guilty pleas send a clear message that we will prosecute those who endanger our communities and environment.” - AG Brown