BY ANDY GARDNER
North Country This Week

CANTON -- The St. Lawrence County sheriff says Massena Mayor Tim Currier’s arrest came after law enforcement “received information this suspect was dealing in drugs” earlier this year. And the Massena Police Department was intentionally left out of the investigation into the mayor’s alleged criminal activity.

Sheriff Brooks Bigwarfe, District Attorney Gary Pasqua and Undersheriff Sean O’Brien discussed the case with local news outlets during a Wednesday, Dec. 2 press conference. Currier was arrested a day earlier after county detectives and federal agents attempted to pull him over near Center Street. He is accused of fleeing the stop and throwing one gram of crack cocaine out of his passenger window, coming to a stop near the intersection of Center and Willow streets.

"This is part of an ongoing investigation, an investigation that began earlier this year with some information that was provided to law enforcement from the public that was acted upon,” Pasqua said. "That tip was acted upon when it was received, in terms of beginning an investigation. The culmination of that investigation, at least that part of it, was yesterday, when officers as part of the operation developed probable cause that a crime had been committed, which was why the pulled over Mr. Currier.”[img_assist|nid=290565|title=Currier|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=150|height=186]

Although the officials didn’t want to get too far into specifics of the case, citing the ongoing investigation, the DA said officers had probable cause to pull over Currier’s car before attempting to pull over the mayor’s car. He would not comment on the specifics of the probable cause.

"The officers determined there was probable cause to make an arrest and pull the car over based upon their observations,” Pasqua said.

Sheriff Bigwarfe said the Massena Police Department, which Currier led as chief for over two decades, was made aware of the case but isn’t in the loop otherwise, “given the position of the defendant and his access and authority over the department in different ways.”

"They've been made aware of the case, obviously, given the position of the defendant and his access and authority over the department in different ways.”

"They are not part of our investigation and will not be because we do not feel that would be appropriate, given the working relationship,” the sheriff said.

The St. Lawrence County DA also declined to say exactly when police began looking into Currier.

"It’s been a few months. I'll leave it at that. This isn't something we went into lightly,” Pasqua said. "What was provided to us was enough and important enough we should look into it, which is why we got HSI, the Sheriff’s Department investigating.”

“[Homeland Security Investigations] Massena, great partners in this investigation, and District Attorney investigators, and our office were the ones handling this complaint,” the sheriff said.

He would not say if Currier has made any admissions or gave any statements since being arrested.

So far, there aren’t any formal allegations beyond drug possession, fleeing the stop and attempting to discard the drugs.

“The investigation is continuing. Where it goes, it goes. I can't tell you what we're going to find out,” Bigwarfe said. "These investigations could take two weeks, could take two months, could be a year. You never know what information will come in.”

Both the sheriff and DA said Currier’s status in the community as both current mayor and former police chief won’t affect the outcome of the case.

"If you look at our track record ... whenever an individual, regardless of their occupation or who they happen to be, we will prosecute them,” Pasqua said. “These are not violent felonies or high-level felonies. We will proceed as we would with any other case.”

Video of Currier’s arrest circulating on social media shows officers with their guns drawn and pointed at him.

Bigwarfe said that’s because they initiated what they call a “felony stop,” meaning the officers are on higher alert.

“Anytime you have an investigation with drugs, it could be volatile, it could be dangerous,” he said. "We want to be tactically sound, make sure our officers are safe ... and the public is safe.”

Pasqua and Bigwarfe are asking any members of the public who may have shot video of the arrest to send it to them so it can be reviewed.

"The more video, the more eyes, the better. It gives you a full understanding and picture of what happened,” Pasqua said.

The sheriff says the investigation is in “preliminary stages,” which includes "doing interviews, doing forensic searches.” He would not say if there have been or will be any search warrants executed at Currier’s home or office.

Investigators are asking members who may have information pertaining to Currier and the alleged drug activity to submit a tip via the St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office app, or the St. Lawrence County Drug Task Force confidential tip line at 1-800-287-DRUG.

In addition to serving as mayor and his time as village police chief, Currier was involved with drug prevention and youth intervention support programs. He helped found the Boys and Girls Club of Massena, where he served as a volunteer board member. That organization has since changed its name to the Police Activities League of Massena (PAL). Currier was also involved with Horizons Youth Clubhouse, which is for kids age 12 to 17 to hang out in a safe, substance-free environment. In a Dec. 10, 2019 Facebook post, The Valley Recovery Center, based in Ogdensburg, called Currier “a true friend of recovery,” adding “we're glad to have Tim as a partner advocating for the recovery community and doing his part to make a difference.” Currier was also a founding member of the Massena Drug Free Coalition.