Hunter is accused of trespass at landfill

RODMAN — A state corrections officer, formerly a state conservation officer, is awaiting prosecution in town of Rodman Court on allegations that he trespassed on the property of the Development Authority of the North Country regional landfill to go hunting.

Aaron A. Netto, 31, address not available, who is assigned to Riverview Correctional Facility, Ogdensburg, is charged with trespassing on posted property, not carrying a license while hunting and failure to produce a hunting license, according to the Jefferson County district attorney's office.

He is charged in an incident Oct. 21. Steven W. Litwhiler, spokesman for the state DEC, said he was served a criminal summons issued by town of Rodman Justice Rodney R. Tamblin, an indication that someone other than a DEC officer caught him in the alleged act.

James W. Wright, DANC executive director, said the district attorney's office proposed to resolve the charge through plea-bargaining, "but we declined to do that." He said DANC is exploring with the town of Rodman "means of greater access" to landfill property for such uses as hiking and "permitted" deer management programs.

To accomplish that, "we need to have strict enforcement," Mr. Wright said, "to have a clear understanding of what is permitted."

An assistant district attorney declined to discuss the case against Mr. Netto while it is still pending prosecution.

Mr. Netto was a probationary conservation officer until May 2002, when DEC declined to grant him full-time appointment. That occurred while he was facing a trespassing charge in town of Brownville Court for hunting rabbits on private property. He was found guilty in a non-jury trial before Brownville Town Justice Richard M. Parker.