News

Brookhaven Town fines owner of illegal dwelling in Wading River

PAUL SQUIRE PHOTO | Brookhaven Town has issued 10 'quality of life' violations to the owner of the home at 30 Randall Road in Wading River.

Brookhaven Town’s Quality of Life Task Force issued 10 appearance tickets earlier this month to the owner of a single family home that had been split up into four apartments on Randall Road in Wading River, according to a press release from the Town Supervisor’s office.

Town officials said they found that an illegal two-bedroom apartment over the garage of the house at 30 Randall Road, and two more one-bedroom dwellings in the basement. The home, which according to Brookhaven tax records is owned by Scott and Gina Noethiger, also containe no functioning smoke detectors in any of its bedrooms.

“You know how unsafe is it for people to live with out smoke detectors?” said Brookhaven Councilwoman Jane Bonner, who represents Wading River. “It’s not right for people to have multiple families living illegally in a house so the homeowner can make his mortgage payment.”

Town investigators said they also found an unregistered vehicle and several tires dumped illegally on the premises. The property owner is due in court March 22, according to the town.

“The property owner of this illegal multi-family home will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Brookhaven Town Supervisor Mark Lesko said in a prepared statement. “I thank our Quality of Life Task Force for the job that they do every day to clean up our neighborhoods and for cracking down on serial offenders and property owners who blatantly disregard our laws.”

Brookhaven Town formed its Quality of Life Task Force three years ago and Mr. Lesko says quality of life fines have more than tripled in that time. He said the town issued $1 million in fines against serial offenders for the first time in 2011.

[email protected]