EDITOR TEDDY LINENFELSER
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NY Legislative Pay Raises: An Atrocious Abuse of the Public Trust- Jan. 2012
See Letterby Jul Thompson
TEANewYork
January 25, 2012
Erie County Sheriff Nets Irresponsible Snowmobiler - Jan. 2012
The events of January 3, 2012 have prompted me to write this article about the illegal antics of an incredibly inept snowmobile operator. During the late afternoon this individual decided to take his snowmobile on a joy ride through the front yards of dozens of homes along Stony Point Road, Love Road and East River Road. No doubt concerned about the lack of snow cover on island roads, this person incorrectly reasoned that it was acceptable to move onto the lightly snow covered lawns of the homes along his route. Due to the relative lack of snow cover and the weight of the snowmobile he ended up rutting the front yards of numerous homes and even toppled a rock wall that was part of the landscaping of a residence on East River Road.Property owners contacted the Erie County Sheriff and asked for someone to investigate. After observing the range of damage caused by this misguided individual, the responding Deputy decided to track the snowmobile down. Within a half hour he had found the offending snowmobile at the parking lot of the Riverstone Grill located at East River and North Colony roads. The operator was interviewed and subsequently issued tickets for unregistered operation and failure to have insurance. Both tickets are classified as moving violations and carry substantial points that upon conviction will be added to the offender's driving record. In addition, the snowmobile owner was directed to have his snowmobile trailered to his home. The moving violations notwithstanding, this irresponsible snowmobiler is also liable for the damages he caused to private property.
Obviously, this individual only cared about enjoying his snowmobile even though it was at the expense of his neighbors. This time he was caught and he will no doubt pay a hefty price for his reckless behavior. Others who enjoy this sport need to take a lesson from this incident. The lack of snow on paved island streets is no justification for snowmobile operation on private property. It is illegal to navigate through residential property without permission simply to reach your favorite snowmobile trail. The professionals staffing our expert law enforcement agencies on Grand Island are fully aware of these unlawful practices and will be on the lookout for violators.
Snowmobiling is a great deal of fun but like anything else those that enjoy this sport need to understand that they are obligated to behave in a safe and responsible manner. If you don’t know the rules then take some time to find out. Read the New York State Snowmobiler’s Guide. A copy may be found at:
http://nysparks.com/recreation/snowmobiles/documents/SnowmobilersGuide.pdf
Paul G. Leuchner
Town of Grand Island
Commission for Conservation of the Environment
