| TRENTON
- Attorney General Stuart Rabner and Division
of Criminal Justice Director Gregory A.
Paw announced a new indictment charging
an Atlantic County contractor with illegally
abandoning medical waste, as well as sentences
in a separate case involving two Brick Township
men who pleaded guilty to illegally dumping
construction materials containing asbestos.
According
to Director Paw, the Division of Criminal
Justice obtained a state grand jury indictment
today charging Brian Conover
(View
Indictment 75k pdf plug-in)
34, of Linwood, with fourth-degree unlawful
abandonment of regulated medical waste.
The
indictment alleges that Conover was contracted
by National Paramedical Services Corp. to
provide phlebotomy services, which involved
visiting patients at their homes to draw
blood. According to the indictment, instead
of properly disposing of the medical waste,
Conover allegedly left medical waste behind
when he moved out of his former residence
on Market Street in Mays Landing. It is
charged that Conover illegally abandoned
labeled blood vials containing some blood,
butterfly needles, straight needles, vaccutainer
blood vials, gauze and prep pads. Some of
the needles appeared to have blood on them
as well.
“Illegal
dumping harms our environment and poses
a serious threat to public health in New
Jersey,” said Attorney General Rabner.
“We will continue to vigorously investigate
and prosecute these crimes.”
In
addition, the Environmental Crimes Bureau
recently concluded the following related
cases:
- State
v. Gary Griffin :
Griffin, 50, of Brick, was sentenced on
Dec. 8 to five years probation and ordered
to pay more than $6,400 in restitution.
The sentence followed Griffin’s
Oct. 6 guilty plea to unlawful release
of toxic pollutants. Griffin admitted
that he knowingly stored more than 140
bags containing asbestos on his driveway
on Eastern Lane in Brick. Many of the
bags, which were from a renovation job
a neighbor was doing, were leaking. It
is charged that the bags were labeled
“Danger - Contains Asbestos Fibers”.
(View
Accusation 75k pdf plug-in)
- State
v. Frank V. Marlowe : On Dec.
5, Marlowe, 30, of Brick, was sentenced
to three years probation and ordered to
pay $1,000 in restitution after pleading
guilty on Sept. 28 to third-degree unlawful
abandonment of toxic pollutants. Marlowe
admitted that in May 2006, at Griffin’s
request, he took several of the bags from
Griffin’s driveway and dumped them
on an empty lot on Larch Avenue in Jersey
City.
(View
Accusation 75k pdf plug-in)
Attorney
General Rabner credited the Jersey City
Incinerator Authority for reporting the
illegally dumped waste on Larch Avenue to
the Department of Environmental Protection,
which referred the matter to the Division
of Criminal Justice -Environmental Crimes
Bureau. The Department of Environmental
Protection - Bureau of Emergency Response
conducted cleanups at both the Larch Avenue
site and the Eastern Lane site in Brick.
In
the Conover case, Attorney General Rabner
credited the Hamilton Township Police Department
in Atlantic County, the Atlantic County
Health Department and the state Department
of Health for notifying and assisting the
Environmental Crimes Bureau.
Attorney
General Rabner noted that the key to a successful
enforcement initiative against illegal dumpers
must include the “eyes and ears”
of neighborhood residents and community
watch groups reporting suspicious activities.
The DEP maintains a 24-Hour Environmental
Hot Line – 877-927-6337–
to receive reports of environmental crimes.
Illegal dumping activity should also be
reported to the Division of Criminal Justice
at 609-984-4470, local
police department or county prosecutor’s
office.
Supervising
Deputy Attorney General Edward Bonanno presented
the Conover matter to the state grand jury.
Deputy Attorney General Betty Rodriguez
coordinated the Griffin and Marlowe cases.
State Investigators Steven Ogulin and Stephen
Coraggio coordinated the investigations.
Additional
information regarding environmental enforcement
activities can be obtained by logging on
to the Division of Criminal Justice Web
site at www.njdcj.org
or the Department of Environmental Protection
Web site at www.state.nj.us/dep.
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