August 24th, 2007

The sentencing of a carpenter who was found guilty of asbestos violations was delayed for a second time according to recent reports. The man, John Chick, was found guilty of the illegal removal of asbestos from a county building.

Originally the sentencing had been scheduled for June 5th, but at the request of the government this was postponed. This then had to be rearranged for July. The man was suspended from his job as a county carpenter following removal of asbestos from the building.

It was decided that instead of the sentencing in July, as had been arranged, a sentencing conference would take place in order to select another date for sentencing. The man asked that he be spared from prison because he was carrying out orders when he removed the asbestos.

The asbestos was removed in February 2006 from the County Board of Elections building. Asbestos is a substance that can cause various health problems such as scarring of the lungs and even cancer through airborne exposure.