Maryland Realtor Pleads Guilty to Water Pollution in Harford County

BALTIMORE, MD ( Feb. 16, 2011) - Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler announced today that Kelly Anne Snow, 45, of 2914 Sparrows Point Road in Sparrows Point, pled guilty in the Circuit Court for Harford County to discharging a pollutant into waters of the State of Maryland.  The offense is a misdemeanor in violation of the State's Water Pollution Control laws.  Judge Angela M. Eaves granted Snow probation before judgment, placed her on one year probation, and ordered a fine of $3,000 with all but $1,000 suspended.

The plea resulted after Snow, a realtor with Real Estate Professionals Inc., hired Carmen Parson to perform a “trash-out” of a foreclosed property located at 1827 Park Beach Drive in Aberdeen.  Parson pumped wastewater containing a high level of fecal coliform from the basement of the property into a storm drain that flows into the Bush River.  The discharge was reported by neighbors and continued throughout the day despite repeated efforts to halt the discharge by the Maryland Department of the Environment, Harford County Department of Public Works, and Harford County Sheriffs' Office.  

The investigation was conducted by the Environmental Crimes Unit of the Office of the Attorney General with the assistance of the Maryland Department of the Environment, Water Management Administration, the Harford County Department of Public Works, the Harford County Sheriff's Office and the Maryland State Police.  In making today's announcement, Attorney General Gansler thanked Assistant Attorney General Jay Robinson for his work on the case.