NEW BERLIN – The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today that Steven E. Sapinski, 34, of Stewart Hill Road in the Town of New Berlin was arrested on Nov. 14 and charged with unlawful disposal of solid waste, operating a solid waste management facility without a permit (both class A misdemeanors), and with disposal of solid waste into a state protected wetland (a violation). If convicted of all the charges, Sapinski could face up to a year in jail and $37,500 in fines for each misdemeanor, and a fine of $1,000 for the violation.

A six-month investigation conducted by Environmental Conservation Officers resulted in the arrest of Sapinski after it was discovered that numerous truckloads of solid waste were illegally deposited on property located on Country Route 49 in the Town of Pittsfield (Otsego County). Sapinski operates a waste disposal business from his home in New Berlin.