Two arrested at Ionia County farm

ORLEANS TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) - Two people were arrested on the property of an Orleans Township farm Thursday. The farm has been investigated since Tuesday for possible illegally stored and buried hazardous materials.

The Ionia County jail confirms it is holding the farm's owner, Jerry Gallagher, and his daughter, Lucinda Chipman for federal authorities.

They could face charges Friday morning.

"(State and federal investigators) found evidence of materials being buried on site," said Bob McCann, of the Department of Environmental Quality. "They are doing sampling and sending it to the lab. That work will be ongoing through (Friday) on the site."

The farm is located on Ostrum Road near South Johnson Road. Gallagher owns it with his wife, Jane.

The Gallaghers own a farm service that provides fertilizer and seed to area farmer, Chipman told 24 Hour News 8 on Wednesday. They work about 4,500 acres on their own, she added.

The DEQ and Environmental Protection Agency won't say why Jerry Gallagher and Chipman were arrested, but according to multiple sources, Chipman assaulted a federal agent.

She was taking pictures of the investigation and supposedly, was asked to leave, said Scott, a longtime farm employee. She left in her car to go see a neighbor and was pulled over just off the property.

"She was able to call her parents and say she was being arrested," Scott said. "Her dad and mother went down to see what was going on, and at that point, Jerry was arrested.

"I don't understand. If she assaulted a federal officer, why wouldn't she have been arrested on the spot of the incident?"

Scott said he feels helpless.

"It feels like we're being overwhelmed and pushed around, and it's getting very tiresome," he said. "We make our living on the ground. To be said that we bury stuff and do what the allegations are would be ludicrous."

To his knowledge, the only thing that has been buried on the property is some concrete. Last spring, the farm had to clean up some old plastics, but took care of it immediately. Other that that, Scott said, the farm always has been compliant.