Pa. dentist indicted in Shore med-waste dumping

Thomas McFarland Jr. isn't taking appointments anymore at his Main Line dental office, but he does have a date with a judge in Cape May County.

McFarland, 59, of Wynnewood, was indicted yesterday by a New Jersey grand jury on charges that he dumped needles and other medical waste into Townsends Inlet this summer.

On the night of Aug. 22, McFarland allegedly took his Boston Whaler fishing boat from his waterfront home in Avalon Manor into the inlet and dumped about 260 Accujet dental needles, 180 cotton swabs and other waste from the Wynnewood home that houses his dental practice.

The waste began washing up on Avalon beaches the next day.

"By dumping medical waste into the waters near Avalon, this defendant forced the borough to close its beaches five times, preventing summer visitors from enjoying one of our state's most precious resources, our Jersey Shore," Attorney General Anne Milgram said in a statement. "This indictment is a step forward in the prosecution of this crime."

McFarland, who allegedly was suicidal, turned himself in to Avalon police Sept. 2.

He was released without bail and was treated at an undisclosed medical facility after the arrest.

A voice message at his Wynnewood office said McFarland was no longer taking appointments or patients. His number in Avalon Manor has been disconnected.

Joseph Rodgers, McFarland's attorney in Wildwood Crest, did not return a phone call seeking comment.

The discovery of one of the dumped items that washed up in Avalon, a wrapped dental drill bit bearing a lot number, helped investigators include McFarland in a list of suspects before he surrendered.

The manufacturer of the drill bit provided investigators with a small number of dental practices in the Middle Atlantic States that used them, authorities said.

Authorities found similar pieces of medical equipment when they searched McFarland's boat and SUV in Avalon Manor and his dental practice in Wynnewood.

He could face up to 10 years in jail and a fine of up to $125,000, if convicted.

A court date has not been set.

Besides the Avalon incidents, hundreds of other needles, both wrapped and unwrapped, washed up on the shore this summer around the same time as McFarland's alleged dumping.

Milgram has said the other incidents are not related to the dumping in Avalon, but no other arrests have been made.