A town employee from Bolton has been arrested for allegedly falsifying reports and tampering with tests at the town's sewage treatment plant. Our Matt Hunter has the details.

BOLTON, N.Y. – Bolton Supervisor Ronald Conover said Tuesday he had no knowledge that the lead operator at the town's sewage plant had been under criminal investigation by DEC police for the better part of the past year.

“It’s very sad,” Conover said. “Obviously, we know him well; he has been an employee since 2014 and he’s really a wonderful guy.”

On Tuesday morning, 37-year-old Thomas French was arraigned in Albany City Court on 10 charges for allegedly submitting four false reports to the DEC about the levels of contaminants found in the affluent released by the plant. Last spring, Conover says consultants hired by the town to improve sewage operations raised issue about some of the test results at the facility.

"Those issues resulted in my contacting the DEC, which we are required to do under our SPDES permit. That was about a year ago,” Conover said.

French is also accused of tampering with the testing process to make the facility appear compliant. Despite those allegations, Conover says current daily testing confirms there are no environmental issues residents need to be concerned about.

"We are told by our consultants that the plant, although it is a 50-year-old plant, is operating well, and that the affluent that is being produced is well within our SPDES permit," Conover said.

Facing up to four years in prison if convicted, French pleaded not guilty to all 10 counts in Albany City Court on Monday. The case is being prosecuted in Albany County because the DEC headquarters where French sent the alleged false reports are located in the city of Albany.

While French's employment status at the town is being evaluated, Conover says the top priority of officials is to make sure the plant is functioning properly and safely.

“We are really focused on that, the operation of the plant and making sure it operates well and to make sure that the testing is done correctly,” Conover said.

French’s attorney, Albany County Public Defender Edmund Schupp, did not respond to respond to Spectrum News’ request for comment.