Court fines Koolen in CRMC case

PROVIDENCE, December 2, 2011 – The R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) has been successful in seeking a court order for Warren resident Thomas Koolen to remove illegal docks he installed on the upper Kickemuit River, behind his property.

Rhode Island Superior Court Judge Sarah Taft-Carter today ordered Mr. Koolen to remove approximately 40 illegal docks and fined him $25,000. Judge Taft-Carter found him in “willful contempt” of the court’s original November 18 compliance order to remove all structures in tidal waters. The court fined Mr. Koolen, and the money is to be deposited into the court registry to fund removal of the structures.

The CRMC filed a motion seeking removal of the illegal docks in September. At a hearing in October, Mr. Koolen requested more time to hire an attorney, and the judge rescheduled the hearing for November. At that time, Judge Taft-Carter learned he had not removed the docks and issued the compliance order. The court-ordered fine serves as a lien against the property, and the case has been scheduled for further review on December 13. The CRMC has also been working with the town of Warren to seek further legal avenues to resolve the violation.

“The CRMC was aggressive in seeking resolution of this matter, so this decision is a victory for the agency and the state,” said CRMC Executive Director Grover J. Fugate. “Protecting our coastal resources is of the utmost importance, and our vigilance in ensuring regulatory compliance in this case demonstrates that.”