Asbestos case prosecution shouldn't stall

As the investigation into the improper handling of asbestos in Cayuga County plods along, we wonder if the case has been looked into as thoroughly as it could have been.

Asbestos-laden material was removed from a county office building in February 2006, and the only person charged with any wrongdoing - John Chick - pleaded guilty to his part nearly six months ago. Chick was allowed to plead guilty to a single crime, conspiracy to violate the federal Clean Air Act, with the understanding that his cooperation with investigators would weigh heavily on his eventual sentence.

Chick has maintained all along that he removed asbestos under orders from superiors, and his attorney, Paul Carey, said in January that the investigation would reveal that “persons higher up in government” knew that an old boiler and pipers Chick had removed from the county Board of Elections building contained asbestos.