Hempstead inspector charged with improper vehicle storage

A Hempstead Town building inspector has been charged with violating a town building code that prevents storage of commercial vehicles on residential property.

Thomas Green, a building inspector since 2009, is due in court on Jan. 7 to face charges that he unlawfully stored the vehicle outside his home, town officials said.

He faces a fine $1,000 to $2,500 or up to 15 days in jail, according to town ordinances.

Green, who makes $58,119 per year, committed the offense in October, town records show.

Green has been issued a verbal reprimand and remains at work, said town spokesman Mike Deery.

Most residents would have first been served a notice of violation for the offense, but the town expects its building inspectors to be in compliance with town codes, Deery said.

"We hold our building inspectors to a high standard," Deery said. "The court will have to determine his penalty."

Attempts to reach Green, who lives in Salisbury, were not successful.

His case is being handled out of Second District Court of Nassau County in Hempstead, a spokesman for the district attorney's office said.

The district attorney is not prosecuting the case, the spokesman said.

Town codes prohibit the placement of commercial vehicles on the exterior portions of single- and two-family houses, except during active unloading or the performance of a commercial service.

A Hempstead code enforcement officer found Green's vehicle stored improperly on Oct. 23, town records indicate.

Hempstead Town attorneys are prosecuting the case.