Source of Jasper County cooking oil leak identified

Jasper County Sheriff’s Police say they’ve figured out what happened to cause that cooking oil spill that ended up closing down a portion of US 231 near Rensselaer over the weekend. It was just after 10:30 Saturday morning when deputies were called about a white truck leaking a yellow-colored liquid on the highway. Investigators determined that substance to be processed soybean oil and clean-up efforts that involved a HAZMAT crew and lasted some 48 hours were started. During the investigation it was determined the truck was allegedly owned by TDJ Transportation. The owner and driver of the truck met with law enforcement and told them the oil was meant to be taken to be spread on gravel parking lots to control dust. Instead the oil leaked out on the highway because of a faulty valve. The owner was issued a citation for the leaking load with follow-up investigations expected by the state agencies involved in the incident.