Mace Case Worth Crying Over? Tear Gas, Pepper Spray Firm Admits Violating Hazardous Waste Laws

BENNINGTON, Vt. (CBS/AP) Mace, the company that makes tear gas and pepper spray products, says it will plead guilty to a federal charge of storing hazardous waste at its Vermont plant without a permit and will pay a $100,000 fine.

Mace Security International Inc. announced the intended settlement Monday.

Mace and its founder, John Goodrich, were charged with keeping hazardous waste in buildings at its Bennington plant and in shipping containers outside it. The company says it has spent more than $785,000 cleaning up the site.

Mace tells the Bennington Banner the subsidiary company, Mace Personal Defense Inc., has submitted the plea agreement to the U.S. attorney in Vermont. It must be approved by prosecutors and a federal judge.