Judge Dismisses Felony Charges Against 2nd Building Inspector: Report

NEW CITY, NY — For the same reasons he dismissed charges against former Spring Valley Building Inspector Wayne Ballard, Judge Kevin Russo on Tuesday dismissed the felony charges against former Spring Valley Building Inspector Ray Canario, The Journal News reported.

Both had been charged in connection with the fire at the Evergreen Court Home for Adults that killed a firefighter and a resident in 2021. The facility, in a century-old hotel, was commonly considered a fire trap, and investigation revealed a history of building and fire code violations.

The prosecution had argued that Ballard and Canario knowingly filed false reports to the state about inspections at Evergreen Court. The defense argued that the prosecution had not proved deliberate fraud, and the judge agreed, the media outlet reported.

Canario still faces misdemeanor charges.

Read the entire article on lohud.com.

The New York State Public Service Commission noted in January that

Staff’s review of subpoenaed documents from Rockland County and the Village of Spring Valley highlighted a history of building and fire code violations at the Evergreen Facility, dating back to the 1960’s, including faults in the fire suppression systems, inadequate evacuation infrastructure such as emergency lights and fire escapes, and unlicensed contractors performing plumbing and construction work. Further, the Village of Spring Valley was unable to produce records more recent than 2016. During its review of the documents that were produced, Staff observed instances of unresolved violations or recurring violations. These findings seem to indicate serious issues with local building and fire code compliance, a lack of proper code enforcement and oversight, and inadequate record keeping on the part of the Village of Spring Valley, which may be the subject of other ongoing investigations.