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PHILADELPHIA A heavy equipment operator with a lengthy rap sheet accused of being high on marijuana when a downtown building collapsed onto a thrift store, killing six people, turned himself in on Saturday to face charges in the deaths, police said.

A warrant had been issued for the arrest of Sean Benschop on six counts of involuntary manslaughter, 13 counts of recklessly endangering another person and one count of risking a catastrophe.

Authorities believe the 42-year-old Benschop had been using an excavator Wednesday when the remains of the four-story building gave way and toppled onto an attached Salvation Army thrift store, killing two employees and four customers and injuring 13 others.

Deputy Mayor Everett Gillison told The Associated Press on Friday evening that a toxicology report showed evidence that Benschop was high on marijuana. That finding, combined with witness statements and evidence from the scene, led to the decision Friday to raid his North Philadelphia home and later seek an arrest warrant, he said.

Benschop didn't return phone messages left at numbers listed in his name, though he told The Philadelphia Inquirer on Thursday that he couldn't comment because of the investigation.

Benschop, who also goes by the name Kary Roberts, has been arrested at least 11 times since 1994 on charges ranging from drugs to theft to weapons possession, according to court records. He was twice sentenced to prison in the 1990s after being convicted on drug trafficking charges. Benschop's last arrest, on a charge of aggravated assault, came in January 2012, but the case was dismissed for lack of evidence.

As the criminal investigation heated up, at least two survivors sued the demolition contractor and building owner, alleging gross recklessness at the job site.

The city, meanwhile, promised to crack down on the demolition industry.

"We can do much better," Mayor Michael Nutter said at a news conference Friday. "We will not accept the status quo in the face of this tragedy."

Nutter's reform plan for construction sites includes random drug testing on heavy equipment operators.

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City official: Demolition equipment operator was high, faces manslaughter charge

Philadelphia-- A 42-year-old man who was allegedly high while operating demolition equipment when a downtown building collapsed and killed six people will be charged with involuntary manslaughter, a top city official said Friday.

Sean Benschop faces six counts on that charge, six counts of risking catastrophe and other charges, said Deputy Mayor Everett Gillison.

Authorities have said Benschop had been using an excavator Wednesday when what was left of the four-story building gave way and fell on top of a neighboring Salvation Army thrift store.

A toxicology report, witness statements and other evidence shows Benschop was high on marijuana that day, Gillison said.

Benschop, who also goes by the name Kary Roberts, has been arrested at least 11 times since 1994 on charges ranging from drugs to theft to weapons possession, according to court records. He was twice sentenced to prison in the 1990s after being convicted on drug trafficking charges. Benschop's last arrest, for aggravated assault, came in January 2012, but the case was dismissed for lack of evidence.

Police have raided Benschop's home but have not found him, Gillison added. Benschop did not return phone messages left at numbers listed in his name, though he told The Philadelphia Inquirer on Thursday that he couldn't comment because of the investigation.

Among those killed was a woman who was working her first day at the store. Thirteen people were hurt.

Video shot of the scene shortly before the fatal collapse show bricks falling onto a sidewalk, which remained open to pedestrians, as a worker used heavy equipment to take out a front wall.

Some accusations of responsibility were lobbed at demolition contractor Griffin Campbell.

Campbell violated several federal safety regulations, while building owner Richard Basciano should have picked a more qualified and competent contractor to do the work, said Robert Mongeluzzi, another of White's attorneys.

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Demolition Worker Facing Charges In Philly Building Collapse

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Demolition will begin Monday on the old Ford Assembly Plant in St. Paul, the next step in the city's effort to redevelop the 150-acre site.

The plant, which closed in December of 2011 after Ford phased out the Ranger pickup truck, has been a fixture in its Highland Park neighborhood since it opened in 1925. City officials and Minnesota politicos lobbied Ford Motor Company to retrofit the plant to build new models, but the company declined.

Demolition on the plant and its buildings will begin on June 10 and continue through 2014. Buildings are now mostly clear of equipment, which was shipped to other Ford sites for reuse or recycled as scrap metal.

Removal of asbestos and other hazardous materials has been completed for buildings to be demolished and most utilities have been disconnected, except those required to support construction trailers, security, and fire suppression.

Crews will attempt to salvage all reusable materials.

St. Paul's Planning and Economic Development Department has conducted numerous studies to prepare for Ford's future marketing of the site in 2015. The goal is to create a mixed-use site that utilizes sustainable and urban design, reduces traffic impacts, encourages walking, biking and transit, and provides connections to the community and the Mississippi River valley.

(Copyright 2013 by KARE. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. )

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Demolition to begin at St. Paul Ford plant Monday

VALERIE RUSS, Daily News Staff Writer russv@phillynews.com, 215-854-5987 Posted: Saturday, June 8, 2013, 3:01 AM

THREE WEEKS before Wednesday's fatal demolition in Center City, Evelyn Gray said she argued with an inspector from the city's Department of Licenses and Inspections about a demolition next door to her North Philadelphia business.

She said workers were tearing down a building on Cecil B. Moore Avenue near 17th Street when the L&I inspector came by.

"I said, 'Shouldn't they have a [water] hose to keep the dust down? And the bricks are falling down into the gates. They could fall and hit somebody.'

"And he said, 'They are doing the right thing. They have the permit papers posted and a fence around the site.' "

She told him: " 'You are going to tell me that this is up to par, with this guy sitting on a brick wall, straddling it without wearing a hard hat, and using a hammer to knock out the bricks on the same wall he's sitting on?"

"I asked him, 'Why don't they have to use a water hose to keep the dust down?'

"And he said, 'That's the way they take down houses now.' "

North Philadelphians have been raising these types of concerns at an increasing rate in recent years as the area has become more attractive to Temple University students.

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North Philly sounded the alarm over demolition practices

A 42-year-old man who was allegedly high while operating demolition equipment when a downtown Philadelphia building collapsed and killed six people will be charged with involuntary manslaughter, a top city official said Friday.

Sean Benschop faces six counts on that charge, six counts of risking catastrophe and other charges, said Deputy Mayor Everett Gillison.

Authorities have said Benschop had been using an excavator Wednesday when what was left of the four-storey building gave way and fell on top of a neighbouring Salvation Army thrift store.

A toxicology report, witness statements and other evidence shows Benschop was high on marijuana that day, Gillison said.

Benschop, who also goes by the name Kary Roberts, has been arrested at least 11 times since 1994 on charges ranging from drugs to theft to weapons possession, according to court records. He was twice sentenced to prison in the 1990s after being convicted on drug trafficking charges.

Benschop's last arrest, for aggravated assault, came in January 2012, but the case was dismissed for lack of evidence.

Police have raided Benschop's home but have not found him, Gillison added. Benschop did not return phone messages left at numbers listed in his name, though he told The Philadelphia Inquirer on Thursday that he couldn't comment because of the investigation.

Among those killed was a woman who was working her first day at the store. Thirteen people were hurt.

Video shot of the scene shortly before the fatal collapse show bricks falling onto a sidewalk, which remained open to pedestrians, as a worker used heavy equipment to take out a front wall.

Some accusations of responsibility were lobbed at demolition contractor Griffin Campbell.

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Demolition worker to be charged in Philadelphia building collapse

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