Endicott Man Charged with Damaging Binghamton Flood Control Levees – Broome County: On March 27, Shayne A. Potter, 24, of Endicott was arraigned in Binghamton City Court and charged with criminal mischief in the fourth degree, disturbing the banks of a protected stream without a permit, and excavating lands burdened by flood control easement without a permit.
The charges resulted from his illegal excavation of flood control levees along the Susquehanna River while searching for antique bottles and artifacts he was selling online. ECOs began the investigation after DEC became aware of the illegal excavations, which compromised the structural integrity of the flood control levees and put citizens of the city and property at risk should the levees fail during a flood event.
The DEC administers and maintains a series of flood control levees along the Susquehanna River and elsewhere in the state. In the spring of 2018, ECOs and DLE Investigators apprehended Potter as he entered the excavated area to begin additional excavation.
Potter is accused of excavating nearly 90 cubic yards of soil, causing damage estimated at $7,385. The attorney representing Potter entered pleas of not guilty and the next trial date has not been set.
ECO Helps Bust Scrap Metal Thieves – Tioga County: On March 27, ECO Stanley Winnick assisted Tioga County Sheriff’s Deputies with the apprehension of two men involved in the larceny of scrap metal and “cold patch” road repair materials from the Town of Candor Highway Department.
ECO Winnick was approached by the town’s highway superintendent regarding multiple thefts of scrap metal and cold patch from the highway department property. The thefts were occurring late at night and, knowing ECO Winnick lived nearby, the superintendent asked if he could help watch for suspicious activity.
ECO Winnick set up a trail camera near the highway garage, and one night at 11:37 p.m., the trail camera sent a notification to the ECO’s cell phone. ECO Winnick contacted Tioga County Sheriff’s Deputy Brian Henry and headed to the garage. The officer parked a short distance away and spotted two men shoveling cold patch into a black pickup truck. He alerted Deputy Henry, and when the thieves left the highway department property, the truck was stopped and both subjects were arrested.
The driver of the truck was charged with grand larceny in the fourth degree, aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, and operation of an unregistered motor vehicle. The passenger of the pickup truck was arrested for grand larceny in the fourth degree.
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