Carleton Pulley, a 48-year-old resident of Bay Shore, found himself arraigned on a slew of charges related to endangering public health and environmental offenses in Suffolk County Court. The arraignment took place on Wednesday, August 30.
According to authorities from the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, an observant police officer bore witness to Pulley's activities on Sunday, April 23, as he was unloading tires from a tractor trailer on the grounds of the former Pilgrim State Psychiatric Center in Brentwood.
The officer swiftly realized that Pulley was not merely unloading tires; he was also offloading numerous other items, some of which contained hazardous waste. Concerned about the potential danger, the authorities called in teams from the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Town of Islip HAZMAT Unit to assess the situation, clean up the site, and gather evidence.
Subsequent testing uncovered a disturbing assortment of hazardous materials, including arsenic, cadmium, chromium, and lead.
Prosecutors argued that Pulley's alleged actions had one motive: evading the fees associated with proper disposal of these dangerous materials. The result of his actions cost the property owner and the Town of Islip over $30,000 in remediation efforts.
Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney stated, "This defendant allegedly disposed of dangerous materials illegally in order to avoid the fees that he would have been required to pay had he disposed of them properly."
During his court appearance on Wednesday, Pulley faced a range of charges, including:
Endangering public health, safety, or the environment (felony)
Unlawful disposal of hazardous waste (misdemeanor)
Criminal mischief (felony)
Unlawful disposal of solid waste (violation)
Following his appearance in court, Pulley was released from custody. If convicted of the most serious charge, he could potentially face up to seven years in prison.
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