EHT Man Charged With Illegal Dumping at State Forest in Burlington County

Three people have been charged in separate illegal dumping incidents at Brendan T. Byrne State Forest in Pemberton, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced on Tuesday.

William J. Larkin Jr., 38, formerly of Egg Harbor Township, has been charged with illegal dumping after discovery of a boat registered to him was found in the White’s Bog portion of Brendan T. Byrne State Forest.

A warrant has been issued for Larkin for failing to appear in Pemberton Township Court. He faces a maximum fine of $25,000.

Allan Alessi, 23, of Burlington and Laura Cornell, 19, of Browns Mills, were charged with a lesser count of illegal dumping due to a small amount of paper trash, found in the same section of the Brendan T. State Forest, which was traced back to them.

Alessi pleaded guilty to the charge and paid a $133 fine.

A warrant was issued to Cornell for failing to appear in Pemberton Township Court.

They were among six people charged with illegal dumping in state parks and lands on Tuesday.

The DEP’s “Don’t Waste Our Open Space” campaign was launched in late March.

Since the launch, investigations of illegal dump sites on state properties by State Park Police, Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Conservation Officers and DEP’s Compliance and Enforcement personnel has resulted in 16 arrests or enforcement actions.

The program is a coordinated effort of a host of DEP agencies, including Parks, Fish and Wildlife, Solid Waste, Water Resources, State Forestry Services and the Natural Lands Trust.

All activities of this new effort are posted on www.stopdumping.nj.gov, a new website that serves as a hub for the entire program.