City attorneys began arguments Friday in Glen Cove City Court to shut down a salvage yard after its owner allegedly illegally dumped thousands of gallons of toxic waste.
In the civil action, Glen Cove officials have accused John Doxey, of Muttontown, of improperly disposing of automotive fluids at his Glen Cove junkyard, 4 Park Place Corp.
The business — which dismantles commercial vehicles — sits across the street from fields used by youth baseball teams.
The case will continue today and Thursday.
Michael Zarin, Glen Cove City’s attorney, described Doxey’s business as a “patently illegal operation” in a phone interview. Doxey, 44, faces violations of local zoning laws that prohibit dumping.
He neither applied for a zoning variance nor filed a site plan for his business, added Mayor Ralph Suozzi, also in a phone interview. “They [Doxey] just went outside the law and said the rules don’t apply to them,” Suozzi said. “The law is the law — not just for people who want to follow it.”
John Maccarone, Doxey’s lawyer, did not return calls for comment.
Doxey faces criminal charges in addition to the Glen Cove civil suit. After the city began investigating the salvage yard, the Department of Environmental Conservation found high concentrations of toxic waste on Doxey’s property.
He was arrested May 21 on 10 counts of discharging pollution and 10 counts of third-degree endangering public health. Doxey could spend up to 4 years in prison if convicted.
Zarin said city officials have photos and video of Doxey dumping waste such as antifreeze, motor oil and transmission fluid while stripping vehicles.
Above: John Doxey, 44, was arrested on charges that he dumped thousands of gallons of toxic automotive fluids into the ground at his property across the street from a field used by youth baseball teams, prosecutors said.
