Seifert Pleads Guilty

The train engineer responsible for a derailment that dumped 42,000 gallons of sodium hydroxide into Sinnemahoning-Portage Creek has pleaded guilty.

46-year-old Michael Seifert of West Seneca, N.Y., was at the controls of a Norfolk Southern train that jumped the tracks in June 2006 near Gardeau. The spill killed thousands of fish as far as seven miles downstream.

Seifert pleaded guilty in McKean County Court to felony counts of causing a catastrophe and improper release of hazardous materials, and was sentenced to one to two years in jail.

Norfolk Southern pleaded no contest to pollution charges last year and agreed to pay $7.5 million to settle civil cases.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Arrests in Operation Diamond Drop

Image
HARRISBURG — Attorney General Tom Corbett today announced that agents from the Attorney General’s Bureau of Narcotics Investigation, assisted by local police officers from across Erie County and the Pennsylvania State Police, are in the process of arresting 41 suspects linked to a nearly $5 million drug organization operating in and around Erie. Corbett said the nearly 2-year long grand jury investigation, known as “Operation Diamond Drop,” used court-ordered wiretaps, undercover surveillance and controlled drug purchases to identify large-scale cocaine and marijuana traffickers in the region. “Drug trafficking at this level is ‘big business’, including upper-level suppliers, mid-level distributers and street-level sales people,” Corbett said. “Our investigations focus on following the drugs and money to their source, allowing us to attack an entire drug distribution network when we make our arrests.” Corbett said the chief figure charged today is Miguel Angel Burgos, 31, 9891 Holly
Read more

Woman Charged with Posting
Nude Picture on Facebook

A Falconer, New York, woman is facing charges after allegedly posting a naked photo of a Warren woman on Facebook. Police say 22-year-old Lindsay Head posted the picture without the consent of the 21-year-old victim, who is dating Head's ex-boyfriend. Head is charged with dispersing obscene and sexual materials. The picture has been removed from Facebook.
Read more

Two Arrested on Drug Charges

Image
Two people were arrested on drug charges after state police got a report about unauthorized use of a vehicle. Troopers found the vehicle in Randolph on Wednesday and arrested the driver, 31-year-old Bridget Bardo of Conewango, for aggravated unlicensed operation and criminal possession of a controlled substance. She was released on her own recognizance and scheduled to appear in Town of Randolph Court. Her passenger, 28-year-old Andrew Jaquish of Salamanca, was charged with three counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance. Police also learned there was an active warrant against him from City of Jamestown Court. He was sent to Chautauqua County Jail on $1,000 bail. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947
Read more