Evidence Lacking for Action Against Goshen Junkyard, DEEP Says

State environmental officials say they currently lack sufficient evidence to pursue enforcement actions against an auto body shop in Goshen accused of illegally burying debris on its property. That has left the matter largely in the hands of local authorities.

"The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and Waste Engineering and Enforcement Division (WEED) recently concluded an investigation into Ike's Auto Body at 225 North Goshen Road earlier this spring. The agencies determined that the neighbors' photos and video were not adequate to meet the legal standard required for the agency to act."

"While neighbors have provided photos and video, the quality, content, and origin are not adequate for the Department to act on, given the high legal standards that must be met for pursuing enforcement actions," DEEP spokesman Bill Flood wrote in a June 18 emailed statement. "Based on the information from WEED's investigation, no additional enforcement action is supportable at this time."

WEED reached that conclusion following an April 9 meeting with Goshen First Selectman Seth Breakell and Robert Rubbo, director of public health for the Torrington Area Health District.

At that meeting, officials were told the investigation was effectively closed — for now. Breakell declined to comment for this story. Flood noted that the door has not been shut entirely. 

"If the town's investigation of the property and its owner produces credible evidence of unpermitted solid waste disposal, WEED may pursue enforcement action with the property owner in an effort to support the town's actions," he wrote in the June 18 statement. "To date, no additional evidence has been provided to the Department."

DEEP also made clear the town retains its own authority to act independent of the state. 

"These findings do not preclude the town taking enforcement based on their land use laws," Flood said.

At the local level, the Goshen Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission (IWWC) has commissioned a property survey, though their findings remain incomplete, according to Land Use Official Marissa Wright. 

"The Commission received a preliminary report from Wetland Scientist Martin Brogie regarding a property survey; however, we need more information and have requested it," she wrote in a June 17 emailed statement. 

Wright declined to discuss any pending enforcement actions but emphasized urgency. 

"It is important to resolve this issue as quickly as possible," she said. "The Town of Goshen and the IWWC are working hard to achieve compliance and to protect wetland resources."

The investigation related to Ike’s Auto Body began after DEEP received complaints in the fall of 2025. On Oct. 30, a resident reported trucks entering and leaving the property on North Goshen Road, though the complainant could not determine whether materials were being brought into or removed from the site and did not provide a specific address. 

WEED then referred that complaint to Goshen's zoning enforcement officer and local fire marshal, citing a lack of actionable information concerning mismanagement of waste.

A second complaint, filed Nov. 15, alleged dumping at the rear of the property, according to Flood. DEEP's Emergency Response and Spill Prevention Division (ERSPD) responded and, alongside the local fire marshal's office, observed "residual evidence of solid waste presence" at the back of the lot. That case was then referred to WEED. ERSPD also made referrals to the First Selectman, Planning and Zoning, and Inland Wetlands.

A joint inspection by ERSPD and WEED followed on Nov. 20, 2025. Goshen's then zoning enforcement officer, Spencer Mussleman, had initially agreed to accompany state inspectors but was unable to join them on the day of the inspection, after which WEED made several additional unsuccessful attempts to contact him, Flood said. 

Inspectors found the property unoccupied, though heavy equipment and dumpsters containing vehicle parts and tires were on site. 

The observations, Flood said, were "indicative of activities associated with a junk yard and vehicle maintenance." 

"During the November 20, 2025, inspection, WEED staff did not observe solid waste being actively brought to the site nor could the inspector definitively determine that waste had been buried at the site," Flood told The Goshen News.