Cortlandville Man is Accused of Causing Cemetery Flooding

A Cortland County property owner is being sued by New York State for clearing 120 acres of land.

The New York State Attorney General’s Office claims that the action by James Stevens III diverted storm water into Saint Mary’s Cemetery in Cortlandville and a nearby highway.

Due to the resulting flooding, ten caskets were unearthed and had to be reburied.

The AG’s office says Stevens has not fixed citations levied earlier on his property.

Officials say the adjoining properties started to flood in July of 2012 and the flooding the following year caused several of the caskets to pop out of their graves and had to be reburied by family members.

Schneiderman’s office wants Stevens to not only fix the problem but to pay an additional penalty.