2 Admit Dumping Trash in Riverhead Pine Barrens

Two men have admitted to dumping a box truck full of construction debris in a remote wooded area of the Long Island Central Pine Barrens Region in Riverhead last fall.

Marvin Sandoval, 29, of Ronkonkoma, pleaded guilty at Riverhead Town Justice Court to violating the Evergreen Law, which carries stricter penalties for dumping in the environmentally sensitive pine barrens. His codefendant 33-year-old Charles Weiss of Coram pleaded guilty to the same charge in February.

“Suffolk will not tolerate illegal dumping,” Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said. “My office will  protect every square inch of natural space in this county and will respond with swift and aggressive prosecution whenever it is threatened.”

Prosecutors said two witnesses called police when the witnesses spotted Sandoval and Weiss dumping pieces of furniture, used paint cans, paint rollers, shower doors, chandeliers, styrofoam, a sink, a granite countertop, tools, and bags of household garbage in the pine barrens. Authorities promptly directed the duo to clean up the mess.

Riverhead Town Justice Court Judge Sean Walter ordered both men to pay $7,500 in fines each. The Suffolk County lawmakers last year raised the maximum fines for dumping in the pine barrens to $15,000 for individuals and $25,000 for corporations, with 33% of the fine serving as a reward for tipsters when a case leads to a conviction.

The 100,000 pine barrens were preserved in 1990 to protect the region’s sole source aquifer that provides public drinking water supplies.