Report: Owner of Waste Management Company Admits to Not Having Comp

Friday, January 23, 2026 | 0

The owner of Hawkeye Waste Systems admitted to not having workers' compensation insurance in response to criminal charges stemming from a fatal accident in 2024, the Iowa City Press-Citizen reports.

Matthew Reuwsaat died of severe head trauma on Oct. 31, 2024, while working for the eastern Iowa waste management company. A subsequent investigation determined that Hawkeye Waste Systems did not have workers' compensation insurance and was not approved to be self-insured.

James Watts, the owner of the company, pleaded guilty on Jan. 16 to a felony count of failure to maintain workers' compensation. The charge can be punished by up to five years in prison, but prosecutors agreed not to recommend incarceration and to suspend any related fines, the newspaper reports. 

A sentencing date hasn't been set.