CAROLINE COUNTY MAN CONVICTED OF HAZARDOUS WASTE VIOLATIONS

Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr. announced today that George A. Foy, 63, of Harrington Road, Greensboro, Maryland has been convicted of illegally transporting for disposal hazardous waste in Caroline County. Circuit Court Judge Karen A. Murphy Jensen of the Circuit Court for Caroline County sentenced Foy to two and a half years in jail and suspended the sentence in favor of two years of supervised probation. Foy was also ordered to complete one hundred hours of community work service and pay $2,120.00 restitution toward the emergency response containment costs. Judge Murphy Jensen emphasized that Foy’s community service should be directed toward work that cleans up the environment. The maximum penalty for the offense, which is a felony, is up to five years in jail and a $100,000 fine.

The conviction results from Foy transporting fourteen fifty-five gallon drums from a commercial property in Sudlersville, Maryland and then disposing of the drums at locations in the Greensboro area of Caroline County. Several of the drums contained a baking varnish used in the manufacture of electronic circuit boards. The waste had a strong solvent odor and a tacky, glue-like consistency. Samples were determined by the State Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Laboratory to be controlled hazardous waste.

Dumped drums began appearing in the area in early May 2004: first on the west side of Cherry Lane near the Tuckahoe State Park campsite entrance, and later off of Stevenson Road and Ninetown Road. Investigators were able to use markings on some of the drums to track down the manufacturer, which led them to Sudlersville and eventually to Foy. The investigation revealed that Foy was hired to remove and dispose of the drums and other debris.

The conviction follows an investigation conducted by the Environmental Crimes Unit of the Office of the Attorney General and the Maryland State Police with the assistance of the Maryland Department of the Environment’s Waste Management Administration and Emergency Response Division. This investigation is ongoing.

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