Hartwick Pair Dumped Garbage

In New Lisbon, DEC Charges

HARTWICK – The discovery of an illegal garbage pile in New Lisbon has led to charges against two Hartwick residents, the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) reported today.

Devan Hazen, 19, and Tara Baker, 20, were both ticketed with misdemeanor charges of unlawful disposal of more than 10 cubic yards of solid waste.

When the garbage pile was discovered, conservation officers dug through the garbage until they found an envelope with an address on it.  When Officer Timothy Card visited the address and interviewed the resident, he learned that a garbage removal service had recently completed a job at the home.

The officer then made a copy of the garbage-removal agreement and learned that two defendants had been advertising the service on Facebook.  The two suspects were then interviewed, and they acknowledged dumping the garbage, and also identified two other sites where they’d done so, the DEC reported.  In all, five pick-up loads of trash were found.

“DEC will continue to vigorously enforce its solid waste rules and regulations to protect our natural resources and the public from illegal dumping like this,” said Region 4 Director Keith Goertz. “Thanks to the persistent detective work by ECO Timothy Card, we were able to track down those responsible for this senseless act and bring them to justice.”

Each charge carries a potential penalty of up to $22,500 and/or up to three months in jail. In addition to any fine imposed, the pair will be required to clean up all the waste and dispose of it at a permitted solid waste disposal facility.

The pair are due in New Lisbon Town Court on May 31 to answer to the charges.