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November 23, 2009

CESI plant burglarized over weekend

Company closed for investigation

Toni Hopper

MARLOW — A Marlow chemical plant was burglarized and vandalized by unknown suspects sometime over the weekend, said Stephens County Sheriff Wayne McKinney.

CESI, which deals in producing chemicals for the oil industry, was burglarized some time between 2 p.m. Saturday to about 1 p.m. Sunday, McKinney said.

“Items were removed and some valves were turned on,” he said Monday. “Canola oil, a biodegradable product that is used, ran into the street. The hazardous materials were contained within the plant.”

Because of the chemicals and the type of product involved, both the Marlow Fire Department and the Department of Environmental Quality were on the scene working into the late hours Sunday to clean up the product, McKinney said.

“I also requested OSBI (Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation) assistance. They sent down a crime crew and investigators,” he said. “That would have been a bad deal if some of that stuff had got out.”

The company was closed Monday, McKinney said, to allow investigators to continue their job.

“This could slow them down a bit. But all the testing of chemicals was done and they got it all cleaned Sunday night before I left,” McKinney said.

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