WCNYH

LONGSHOREMAN’S REGISTRATION REVOKED FOR REPEATED DRUG USE

October 11, 2016

     Timothy Chaffiotte, 27, an A-Register longshoreman, from Ridgewood, New Jersey, had his Waterfront registration revoked today following an administrative hearing due to repeated use of cocaine and marijuana, even after being warned by the Commission not to use drugs.

     Chaffiotte, who had been a maintenance man at APM Terminal since 2007, was initially arrested in 2013 by River Edge, New Jersey police for Driving While Intoxicated following a traffic violation. In 2014, Chaffiotte was convicted of that offense in River Edge Municipal Court and as a result, had his driver’s license suspended for three months.

     During an Article IV interview in March 2016, Chaffiotte admitted to his drunk driving offense and also admitted to using cocaine and marijuana while on his honeymoon in Jamaica only two months earlier. The Commission sternly warned Chaffiotte about drug use and how it might affect his registration as a longshoreman.

     Subsequently, in April 2016, Chaffiotte was re-interviewed by the Commission and admitted to additional cocaine and marijuana use since his previous interview only a month earlier. In his report, the Administrative Law Judge found that Chaffiotte “admittedly has a drug problem yet he has demonstrated minimal urgency to address it” and adjudged him a danger to the peace and safety of the piers. The Commissioners agreed and voted to revoke his longshoreman registration.

     The case was handled by Commission Counsel Thomas Kapp.