There was no criminal wrongdoing in the Sun Prairie explosion that took the life of Fire Department Captain Cory Barr and left dozens of families homeless in July of 2017, according to Sun Prairie Police Chief Patrick Anhalt.
During a press conference Thursday morning, Anhalt said that the explosion was caused by VC Tech, who was subcontracted by Verizon. VC Tech was placing underground fiber communications for Verizon when they accidentally hit an incorrectly marked gas line under Bristol Street and Main Street.
Workers for USIC failed to mark where the gas line was actually located and marked a spot on the sidewalk nearby where, in fact, there was no gas line. Several buildings subsequently exploded.
Anhalt said that communications between utility contractors and subcontractors have to improve but that the incident does not rise to a criminal act.
“There is not probable cause to believe a crime was committed,” Anhalt told press on Thursday morning. “Moving forward, it is our sincere hope that this tragedy will result in a serious evaluation of regulatory language pertaining to the responsibilities of those engaged in utility work.”
