February 9, 2007 -- ALBANY - He's only been on the job one day, but new state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli already has a sticky situation to deal with - news that one of his employees was charged with, uh, pleasuring himself while naked on a ski lift.
DiNapoli was made aware of the embarrassing arrest of William Barret III, 46, yesterday morning as he entered the office for the first time. Barret, who makes $80,661 a year as a data-processing supervisor, pleaded not guilty in Brattleboro, Vt., District Court on Tuesday to charges of felony lewd and lascivious conduct and misdemeanor marijuana possession. The alleged incident occurred on Dec. 15. According to Winhall, Vt., police, a 26-year-old skier riding a gondola down at Stratton Mountain Resort saw Barret, naked and masturbating, in a glass-enclosed lift that was going up the mountain. Police, resort security and the witness were waiting for Barret at the bottom of hill. By then, police said, he was fully dressed and claimed he had taken off his jacket and shirt because of the nice weather. But cops noted that temperatures were quite cold. Police also found a cloth pouch they charged contained more than a gram of marijuana, a glass pipe, and lighter. Morale has been low at the office since former Comptroller Alan Hevesi resigned in disgrace after pleading guilty to a felony for using state employees to chauffeur and tend to his wife.
