Carroll County Farm Owner Convicted of Water Pollution
and Dumping of Solid Waste

BALTIMORE, MD (July 17, 2007) - Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler announced today that Carroll L. Schisler, Sr., 61, of New Windsor was found guilty in the Circuit Court for Carroll County of discharging a pollutant into waters and allowing the disposal of litter in an amount exceeding 500 pounds. Judge Thomas F. Stansfield sentenced him to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine, all of which were suspended. In addition, Schisler was placed on five years supervised probation under the condition that he obey all laws and clean up the property, cease all operations which cause or may cause water pollution, and cooperate with county, state and federal Agencies.

The investigation began in March, 2006, when it was discovered that Schisler’s farm, located at 2546 Marston Road, was littered with animal carcasses in various stages of decay. Animal remains were observed in a runoff stream as well as in a pile containing 23 carcasses of cows, pigs and goats located on the back hillside of the farm. Inspectors from the Carroll County Health Department and the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene observed wastewater from sinks of a butchering operation flowing into a floor drain. Tests revealed that the waste flowed from the farm and into a small stream on the property. Stream samples taken from various locations on the Schisler property showed that the water was polluted with fecal coliform.

This conviction follows joint investigations by the Environmental Crimes Unit of the Office of the Attorney General, the Maryland State Police, the Carroll County Health Department and the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. In making today’s announcement, Attorney General Gansler thanked Assistant Attorney General Jay Robinson for his work on the case.