A superior court judge has ruled in favor of the Georgia Department of Agriculture in its case against a Cartersville pest control company regarding improper applications of pesticides in school classrooms and other violations of the Georgia Structural Pest Control Act.
The Superior Court of Bartow County affirmed an earlier decision by an Administrative Law Judge regarding Allatoona Exterminating Company of Cartersville. The Agriculture Department had cited the company for numerous violations involving improper pesticide applications in several school systems. The company appealed the decision to the Bartow County Superior Court which concurred with the department’s decision to revoke Allatoona’s license and the certification of its operator Christopher Mason and impose a $96,000 fine.
"We discovered numerous violations, including spraying in classrooms while children were present, incomplete recordkeeping and failure to take all reasonable measures to insure that pesticides were applied in the safest manner possible," said Tommy Irvin, Georgia Agriculture Commissioner.
"It is our responsibility to ensure that state regulations are followed and that all people are protected, especially our children,” said Commissioner Irvin. “This ruling from Bartow County is a validation that we are doing our job."
