Man who caused reservoir shutdown fined $5,000

July 2004

U.S. Water News Online

ERIE, Pa. -- A man who shut down the city's largest reservoir after he tossed a bag containing dirty underwear over its fence was ordered to pay $5,000.

The city bomb squad and hazardous materials crew responded after an Erie Water Works employee became suspicious after he saw the black bag near the 33-million gallon Sigsbee Reservoir on May 27.

The reservoir and surrounding neighborhood was shut down for several hours while the Erie Bomb Squad X-rayed the bag and the Erie County Hazardous Materials Response Team waited to test it.

Police tracked down Troy Musil, 18, of Erie. He told police he'd been ill and soiled his underwear. He changed at a friend's house, then climbed over two barbed-wire-topped fences to ditch the underwear.

Musil pleaded guilty to defiant trespass. District Justice Dominick DiPaolo gave Musil a 90-day suspended jail sentence and ordered him to pay $500 a month for 10 months to the emergency agencies that responded.

If he doesn't pay, DiPaolo said Musil will be jailed. A telephone number for Musil couldn't be found.


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