Louisville man accused of hoarding hazardous materials in Highview home pleads guilty, avoids jail

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Louisville man charged with hoarding hazardous materials in his Highview home last year pleaded guilty to amended charges Thursday that will allow him to avoid jail time.

Marc Hibel was charged Aug. 3, 2023, with two counts of burglary and wanton endangerment after officials found more than 20 dangerous chemicals at two places on Applegate Lane in Highview.

Hibel pleaded guilty in Jefferson Circuit Court to two misdemeanor counts of criminal trespassing and wanton endangerment, with a proposed sentence of three years in prison that instead will be probated for five years. He also pleaded guilty to a new charge of possession of a controlled substance, LSD.

Hibel, who claimed the chemicals were benign and did not pose a danger to the community, entered an Alford plea, meaning he maintained his innocence but acknowledged there was enough evidence for a jury to convict him.

Jefferson Circuit Court Judge Patricia Morris said the evidence shows that Hibel invited undercover police into his home and showed them what he called homemade explosives, using a substance similar to TNT. Police said he also made statements that he had made explosives and homemade blasting caps in the past, which he detonated in his backyard.

Hibel and his attorney, Thomas Rasinski, told the judge that the chemicals were not a danger to the community but Hibel was pleading guilty because it was "unpredictable" how a jury would rule.

"I understand that this is what the state would present" to the jury, Hibel said during the plea. "I disagree."

The prosecution and defense declined to comment until the official sentencing, set for Nov. 4.

Under terms of the plea, Hibel must continue mental health treatment, stay away from Applegate Lane and not have any chemicals or hazardous materials. If he stays out of trouble while on probation, he will avoid a jail sentence.

Hibel told the judge he is currently homeless, living with friends.

A previous demolition order filed by the city says both the home and the adjacent garage had "known explosives, explosive fumes or vapors or the presence of toxic fume gases, or material ..." It also said that if the buildings were ignited, they'd be in "imminent danger" of collapse, possibly endangering anyone around.

Both sites have since been cleaned up. The house Hibel owned was demolished.

Charles Sondergeld, who lives near the house on Applegate Lane, said Thursday that no one in the neighborhood talks much about last summer anymore other than acknowledging the empty lot where Hibel's home once stood.

"I don't see how he could do anything but plead guilty on it," Sondergeld said. "I mean, everything was there."

Sondergeld said, before Hibel's arrest, he heard an explosion coming from the property but thought it was fireworks.

"I think he was just playing with it, experimenting," he said. "But not to say that it wouldn't get worse, because that's how everything starts."

Rasinski has said Hibel is a retired chemist who "collected a lot of things," with the intention of disposing of some and using other materials to start his own business with another chemist.

Hibel and another person bought the property in 2004, though he's been the sole owner since 2010. He's received fines from Metro inspectors 21 times in the last three years for property maintenance violations such as junk on site, tall grass and exposed wiring.

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