NORWICH – Former Norwich Assistant Superintendent of Public Works, George Carnrike Jr. appeared in Norwich City Court Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to the 21 charges filed against him by the Department of Environmental conservation for offenses he committed while working for the City of Norwich in 2017 and 2018.

During that time Carnrike was in charge of the public works department while the city operated without a superintendent.

He was also charged in a separate case by the DEC for disposing of city waste on private property in June 2018.

He was placed on leave and the common council accepted his resignation on Sept. 2018 over the objections of the mayor. Officials said his termination was not related to the investigations. George Carnrike's sister is City of Norwich Mayor Christine Carnrike.

Defense Attorney Benjamin Bergman entered a plea of not guilty for Carnrike and told the court, “There are a number of statue of limitation issues which should clear up some of the charges.” He said some of the charges would likely be dismissed or dropped.

The Oneida City Judge Anthony Eppolito was appointed as judge in the case after local officials recused themselves. The Otsego County District Attorney's Office is prosecuting the case. A representative was not in court but the office contacted the judge and did not ask for, or object to bail not being set in the case.