Farmingville, NY – On July 11, Supervisor Ed Romaine (center) joined John Pavacic, Executive Director of the Central Pine Barrens Joint Planning and Policy Commission (right) to announce a series of recent arrests for illegal dumping in the Central Pine Barrens region. During the event, Supervisor Romaine thanked the members of the Pine Barrens Task Force Law Enforcement Council for their efforts to stop illegal dumping.
Supervisor Romaine said, “Illegal dumping is a threat to our environment and especially harmful to our water supply. Anyone who thinks they will get away with it should think again. John Pavacic and the Pine Barrens Task Force Law Enforcement Council have made great progress to help bring those responsible to justice. They have the tools and manpower to identify the law breakers and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”
Mr. Pavacic said, “We greatly appreciate the talent and hard work brought to bear by our law enforcement agencies in combating the unlawful disposal of solid waste by a select few who have such contempt for our environment. Furthermore, we are thankful for Supervisor Romaine’s leadership and support in furthering these efforts in Brookhaven Town and throughout the Central Pine Barrens.”
On May 25, household waste was discovered by New York State forest rangers in Rocky Point Pine Barrens State Forest in Middle Island. The rangers traced the debris back to Christian Manzi of Selden, who had rented a U-Haul truck to remove and dispose of household debris for a client. Manzi was presented with the evidence against him, confessed to the crime, and was charged with Depositing Rubbish on State Land by New York State Forest Rangers. He subsequently returned to the site and cleaned it up. He’s scheduled to appear in Suffolk County First District Court on July 25.
On June 15, a large pile of demolition debris was discovered by New York State Forest Rangers on state land adjacent to a commercial business in Rocky Point. It was traced back to a Ridge resident who had hired Rocco Schuster, owner of R&G Dumpsters, Inc. On June 22, the Rangers issued both the homeowner and R&G Dumpsters, Inc., tickets for the Unlawful Disposal of Solid Waste and Dumping in the Pine Barrens, a violation of Suffolk County Code. A court date of August 22 in Suffolk County First District Court was set.
On May 19, two subjects were observed in a wooded area near Speonk dumping toilets. One of the subjects returned to the scene approximately 90 minutes later and dumped a large truck full of leaves in the same area. In mid-June, the same subject returned and dumped a load of brush. On June 28, a New York State Trooper issued summonses to the two subjects. William J. Rodriguez-Ortiz of Speonk was charged with two counts of Dumping Construction Debris and Leaves, two counts of Driving Off-Road on Public Property and one count of Dumping Brush, all violations of the Southampton Town Code. He was additionally charged with Driving Off-Road on Public Property, a violation of Suffolk County Law. Byron H. Garcia-Perez of Speonk was charged with one count of Dumping Construction Debris, a violation of Southampton Town Code.
On July 5, Suffolk County Sheriff’s deputies charged Calvin Cobb of Shirley with Unlawful Disposal of Yard Waste in violation of Brookhaven Town Code after he was caught via surveillance dumping on a dead end road in Manorville.
In addition to these cases, the New York State Environmental Conservation Police are seeking help in apprehending two subjects observed unlawfully disposing eight barrels containing remnants of car washing fluids and anti-freeze in Manorville (right photo). Surveillance clearly shows these individuals unlawfully disposing the potentially hazardous materials from a white Ford pickup truck. Anyone with any information about this crime is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.
Councilman Michael Loguercio, the Town Board Liaison to the Division of Veterans Services said, “The Division of Veterans Services is continuing to work with veterans to identify those who are in need. This food drive is just one service we provide and I encourage all Brookhaven veterans to contact our Division of Veterans Services to find out about benefits you may be entitled to.”
Long Island Cares Inc. Chief Government Affairs Officer Michael Haynes said, “In our role as a regional food bank for Long Island, Long Island Cares, Inc.- The Harry Chapin Food Bank is proud to support Supervisor Romaine and the Town’s Division of Veterans Services Annual Food Drive. Collecting enough food to compile 300 bags in such a short period of time is quite an impressive feat, and we hope the veterans served will enjoy the beverages we were able to supply. We commend the Supervisor and the Town for their unwavering commitment in providing necessary services to veterans, and we look forward to doing even more together in the future.”
The Division of Veterans Services has distributed more than 200 bags of food to veterans who visited the office and worked with local VFW representatives to distribute the donations directly to veterans and their families. A portion of the donations are being kept at the office of the Division of Veteran Services to distribute on an as needed basis. If you would like to find out more information about the services provided by the Division of Veterans Services, please call 631-451-6547. The hours of operation are Tuesday, Thursday and every other Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Division of Public Information * Office of the Supervisor
One Independence Hill • Farmingville • NY 11738 • Phone 631-451-6595