Carleton Pulley, a 48-year-old resident of Bay Shore, has pleaded guilty to Endangering Public Health, Safety, or the Environment in the Second Degree. This plea follows his illegal disposal of hazardous waste and old tires at the former Pilgrim State Psychiatric Center in April 2023.
District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney stated, "This defendant illegally disposed of hazardous waste in order to avoid the fees that he would have been required to pay had he disposed of them properly. Thankfully, the damage to the environment was mitigated due to the immediate discovery of the waste by law enforcement and the quick remediation by the Town of Islip and the property owner."
According to court documents and Pulley's admission during his guilty plea allocution, on April 23, 2023, a New York State Office of Mental Health Police Officer observed Pulley rolling a tire out of a tractor trailer in an area closed to the public at the former Pilgrim State Psychiatric Center. Upon further inspection, it was found that Pulley had already unloaded multiple tires and hazardous waste stored in large containers.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Town of Islip’s HAZMAT Unit responded promptly to clean up the site and collect evidence. Tests confirmed that pollutants contained hazardous substances such as Arsenic, Cadmium, Chromium, and Lead. The cleanup operation cost over thirty thousand dollars.
Pulley entered his guilty plea on September 25, 2024, before Judge Steven A. Pilweski. As part of District Attorney Tierney's Evergreen Initiative, environmental offenders are required to contribute directly to restoring Suffolk County's natural areas through community service and financial penalties aimed at environmental improvement.
Pulley is required to accumulate "Green Points" through community service and financial contributions as part of his plea agreement. His term of incarceration may be reduced based on these points. He is scheduled for a progress review in February 2025 and is represented by attorney Peter Brill.