Office of the Attorney General: Plea of Jeffrey S. Bemis to Unlicensed Water Well Construction

FROM THE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

July 25, 2008

Attorney General Kelly A. Ayotte and Special Agent in Charge Michael Hubbard of the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division announce that Jeffrey S. Bemis, age 48, of Harrisville, New Hampshire, pled guilty on July 24, 2008, in Keene District Court to one misdemeanor count of Unlicensed Water Well Construction.  The defendant admitted that on March 12, 2008 he constructed a drinking water well on property located in Harrisville, New Hampshire and he did not have a water well contractor’s license as required.

Judge Edward J. Burke accepted the defendant’s plea and sentenced him to four months at the House of Corrections suspended for a period of one year, and a fine of $5,000 with $1,500 to be paid within six months and the balance of the fine, $3,500, suspended for one year.  The defendant’s sentence is conditioned upon his good behavior.  Moreover, the defendant is not permitted to construct water wells while he remains unlicensed to do so.

Attorney General Kelly A. Ayotte said:  “This State’s drinking water is a precious resource that must be protected.  The law provides that individuals hired to construct drinking water wells are licensed to do so and this Office will continue to enforce that law to ensure public health.”

Investigators from the Environmental Protection Bureau of the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division investigated these charges, with assistance from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services.

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Please direct all inquires to Assistant Attorney General Esther B. Piszczek in the Environmental Protection Bureau at (603) 271-3679.