Ready Mix owner to plead not guilty

Updated Oct. 22 8:53pm:

The owner of Sierra-Tahoe Ready Mix is scheduled to be in court Thursday to face four felony counts of fraud related to product he supplied to contractors working on projects on the South Shore.

Mike Wallace, who runs the South Lake Tahoe company, deferred comment to his attorney Jacqueline Mittelstadt.

“We look forward to proving that the allegations have been grossly exaggerated when compared to what actually occurred,” Mittelstadt told Lake Tahoe News. “Incidentally, Mr. Wallace has a lien outstanding against the city for work performed.”

In the complaint, El Dorado County Deputy District Attorney Cristy Lorente accuses Wallace of presenting a false bill for four projects.

In March, when the accusations were first leveled against Wallace, he told Lake Tahoe News that he changed the date of a mix because the customer, a firm hired by South Lake Tahoe, needed the paperwork immediately or else they said they would go elsewhere. Wallace said he changed the date to say it was the current year. However, Wallace said the concrete mix that was delivered was that year’s formula.

The projects in question include the Sierra Tract waterline replacement, Angora Creek sewer location, Pioneer Trail pedestrian improvement, and what the complaint called No. 1018.

In March, contractors who have used cement from this company defended the integrity of the material.

“Since these allegations first surfaced, Mr. Wallace has enjoyed vast support from his clients and others in the community as a result of his consistently high-quality work. His concrete mixes are precisely computer generated, and all of his completed work is rigorously tested,” Mittelstadt said. “Sierra-Tahoe Ready Mix has passed every test.”

Wallace is scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 23 at 1pm in El Dorado County Superior Court in South Lake Tahoe where Mittelstadt said the intent is to plead not guilty.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report