Timber Theft Solved – Allegany County
On May 24, with support from the Allegany County District Attorney’s Office, Investigator Piwko coordinated the arrest of a subject on charges related to an alleged timber theft in the town of Almond back in February 2023. Under direction from the D.A.’s office, the subject received four felony criminal complaints, including two counts of grand larceny, two counts of criminal mischief, and misdemeanor violations of New York State Environmental Conservation Law. New York State Police Trooper Amity supported the arrest processing. The defendant will be arraigned in West Almond Town Court.
Polluters Arrested – Allegany County
On May 27, Investigators in DEC Region 9 arrested two brothers on charges related to a large oil spill that impacted the Allegheny River watershed last summer.
On Aug. 20, 2023, DEC’s Spills Hotline received a complaint about a large amount of crude oil flowing into Foster Creek, a headwater of the Allegheny River. The spill also flowed into a beaver swamp, killing a family of beavers. A DEC contractor cleaned up the contamination under the guidance of DEC spill response experts.
The next day, on Aug. 21, 2023, ECO Calanni and Investigator Piwko began a criminal investigation into the oil and gas well spill. The investigation resulted in ECO Calanni and Investigators Dougherty and Piwko arresting brothers Steven L. Adams and Eddie D. Adams for their alleged involvement in the spill.
The pair were processed at the New York State Police barracks in Amity, issued appearance tickets, and released. Charges include polluting waters in contravention of standards, discharge without a State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) Permit, failure to report bulk spills of a liquid pollutant, and discharge without a permit - all misdemeanors of the State Environmental Conservation Law. The two are scheduled to be arraigned in Genesee Town Court in Allegany County.