Church-Going Debris Dumper Cited After Mass: DEC Police

LEVITTOWN, NY — A church-goer who decided to dump some hard-to-get-rid-of construction debris has been cited for unlawful disposal of solid waste, New York State Environmental Conservation officials reported.

On April 7, ECO Christopher DeRose received a complaint from a dog walker reporting a driver dumping several five-gallon buckets and contractor bags of construction and demolition debris next to a park in Levittown before entering a church less than 50 feet away.

Officer DeRose responded to the location, documented the items dumped, and saw circular impressions in the rear carpet of a parked SUV consistent with five-gallon buckets, DEC police said.

He waited in the parking lot of the church until mass ended and then confronted the suspected dumper, DEC police said.

She first denied the act but confessed after DeRose notified her about a witness and other evidence, police said.

She claimed the local sanitation hauler refused to accept the material with her household trash, so she dumped it instead.

DeRose ticketed the woman for the unlawful disposal of solid waste, returnable to Nassau County First District Court. She was also directed to clean up the mess and dispose of it properly — and supply a receipt as proof.

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