Town Board Approves Police Chief Defense in EPCAL Concert Lawsuit

The Riverhead Town Board approved payments during Tuesday's meeting for the legal defense of police chief David Hegermiller in an eight-year lawsuit over a cancelled concert planned to be held at the Enterprise Park at Calverton.

In 2002, a two-day concert called Field Day was proposed for the Enterprise Park at Calverton, and was planned to feature bands such as the Beastie Boys and Radiohead. The Town Board initially approved the concert, but the county refused to grant a mass-gathering permit in 2003 after Hegermiller brought up problems such as hiring enough police, potential traffic jams on local roads and fears over sanitation code violations. 

The concert organizers originally sued the town to grant them the permit, and have since changed the lawsuit to cover expenses and lost profits. The lawsuit's defendants also include Suffolk County, Suffolk County Department of Health Services and several county officials.

During the Town Board meeting Tuesday, Riverhead Town Supervisor Sean Walter said the town would pay for Hegermiller's legal defense because he was acting within the scope of his job as police chief, adding that the town never acknowledged the suit.

"This is something the town should have done seven years ago," Walter said. "It's a loose end that should have been tied a long time ago."