DEC Environmental Crimes Investigators Arrest Clinton Co. Man

Charges Include Felony Endangering Public Health, Safety and the Environment

An investigation by State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Police resulted in the arrest of a Clinton County man on charges for illegally disposing of asbestos laden debris in a wetland, DEC announced today.

On January 29, 2015, investigators from the DEC Bureau of Environmental Crimes Investigation (BECI) charged Randy P. Bedard, 57, of Rouses Point, NY, with endangering the public health, safety or the environment in the 2nd degree, a Class D felony. Bedard was also charged with two misdemeanors; unlawful disposal of solid waste and unpermitted activity in a regulated wetland.

The investigation stemmed from the collapse of the former Drown Funeral Home on Route 11 in Mooers on January 11, 2014, and the subsequent removal of 150 cubic yards of debris. Bedard allegedly brought the asbestos laden debris to the Clinton County Solid Waste Management Facility and to an unpermitted disposal site on North Star Road in the Town of Mooers. The site on North Star Road is a regulated wetland.

Staff from DEC’s Solid Waste and Wetlands programs assisted BECI Investigators.

Bedard was arraigned in the Town of Mooers Criminal Court where he entered a plea of not guilty. He was released on his own recognizance and is scheduled to appear before the court on February 12, 2015.

Report environmental crimes to the DEC 24 hour dispatch at 844-DEC-ECOS (844-332-3267).

Author: Harlem Valley News