Leland Township resident Vincent Tomczak is facing a criminal charge for “alleged violation of wetlands,” the office of Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Tuesday. Tomczak, who owns the local business Peninsula Excavating & Equipment Rental, was arraigned in the 86th District Court on one count of filling, draining, or dredging a wetland without a permit, a press release from Nessel’s office said.

Per the release, “Tomczak allegedly dredged and filled between 1 and 2 acres of protected wetlands property beginning in 2023.”

“The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) sent multiple site violation notices and restoration orders, contacted Tomczak directly over the alleged violations, visited the site multiple times, and in 2024 executed a search warrant at Tomczak’s property,” Nessel’s office wrote. “Despite ample notice that the development required permits not obtained and that restoration would be required, it is alleged Tomczak made no restoration efforts at the property, despite many opportunities to do so, and that unlawful wetland violations continued after notices were issued.”

The release does not specify the precise location of the property in question.

“Michigan protects its wetlands with strict regulations and, when necessary, criminal penalties,” Nessel said in the release. “These protections help maintain a healthy environment and defend fragile and sometimes irreplaceable ecosystems. EGLE takes seriously their obligation to defend the resources of our State, and, in my office, we will prosecute when necessary to uphold and enforce compliance with the law.”

The case is being prosecuted by the Environmental Crimes Unit, part of the Department of Attorney General’s Environmental Crimes Unit. Tomczak next court appearance in the matter is a pretrial conference, scheduled for January 27, 2027. That business, which Tomczak operated with

In addition to his landscaping business, Tomczak is known locally as a former co-owner of the now-shuttered Island Thyme Catering & Event Planning. That business ceased operations last year.