Indicted Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane Friday announced criminal charges have been filed against two Palmerton-area men accused of illegally disposing of waste in Carbon County.
The charges against Ronald F. Gilbert, 76, and Gilbert C. Green, 68, are the result of an investigation by the Office of Attorney General's Environmental Crimes Unit.
According to a criminal complaint, investigators learned Gilbert, the owner of the Covered Bridge Inn, enlisted another individual to pump waste from the septic tank at his restaurant into a nearby storm drain. Green, who served as a handyman for the business, was the person who assisted in the disposal process, investigators allege.
A state police trooper reported witnessing firsthand sewage being pumped from Gilbert's business into a storm drain, the criminal complaint states. The storm drain ran directly into Hunter Creek, which is classified by the state Department of Environmental Protection as a high quality, coldwater fishery, investigators reported.
This illegal disposal of waste took place from March 2014 through January of this year, investigators allege. Gilbert also was sent several letters by a Lower Towamensing Township sewage enforcement officer in which he was reminded of regulations regarding the illegal discharge of sewage. The letters followed citizen complaints related to the alleged discharges, the criminal complaint states.
Gilbert, of 120 Whispering Wood Drive, and Green, of 4170 Hans Dairy Road, are both charged with one count each of unlawful conduct, prohibition against other pollution, pollution of waters and sewage discharges.
Gilbert was released on his own recognizance following a preliminary arraignment Thursday. Green is being sought on an active arrest warrant. Both men are awaiting a preliminary hearing.
Their case is being prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Rebecca Franz of the Environmental Crimes Unit.
A person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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