ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – Federal charges have been filed against the owner of a former bowling ball factory that caught fire in fall 2019.
Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Missouri said John S. Wonders bought Faball Enterprises, Inc. in the late 1980s, including its facility in the 8700 block of Xograph Avenue in Jennings. Faball had purchased the building in the late 1970s for its bowling ball manufacturing business. Wonders now owned and controlled the manufacturer.
In June 1999, Wonders filed paperwork with the City of Jennings to rename the business to Visionary Bowling Products, LLC. Wonders continued to operate the business as usual for nearly the next two decades.
In July 2018, the City of Jennings acquired the title to the business over unpaid property taxes. Visionary Bowling ceased production in 2018 or 2019. By August 2019, the city notified Wonders that he had 60 days to fully vacate the property, with a deadline of Oct. 20.
Prosecutors allege that from July 2019 until Oct. 20, 2019, John Wonders Sr. and Jason Wonders stored, disposed, or abandoned containers of chemicals and other hazardous waste in the facility with a permit, in violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).
On Oct. 21, 2021, two years after the city took possession of the building, a large fire occurred at the vacant bowling ball manufacturer. More than a dozen area fire departments responded to extinguish the blaze. Nearby homes and businesses were evacuated due to potential hazards. The Jennings School District received a “shelter in place” order as well. A small fire rekindled the following day.
Members of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources hazardous waste enforcement team visited the site on Nov. 9, 2021. They observed hundreds of abandoned containers in various stages of decay and deterioration in the building. The DNR requested federal help in securing and removing the containers.
Thursday’s indictment charges John Wonders and Jason Wonders each with one count of unlawful storage of hazardous waste.
