Dirk Brown

BY JIMMY LAWTONNorth Country This Week

CANTON – Local law enforcement agencies have apprehended a fugitive who was wrongly released from jail by fraudulently using property owned by the St. Lawrence County District Attorney's office as collateral for bond.

St. Lawrence County Court Judge Gregory Storie approved the release, but did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding how such a situation occurred.

Dirk Brown, 44, Ogdensburg, was charged last week with second-degree conspiracy, third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance as part of operation Jet Black, which netted more than a pound of cocaine, $4,000 in currency and 24 grams of Fentanyl.

He had been jailed on $50,000 bail, but was released from jail by Judge Storie after a $50,000 bond payment was secured by Amanda Hull using 921 Caroline St.,Ogdensburg ,as collateral for a bond company that apparently failed to verify ownership.

The bond company, Financial Casualty & Surety Inc. The property itself isn’t even worth $50,000, according to the property assessment.

It’s unclear how both the court and the bond agency failed to notice the property was owned by the county, rather than Hull.

St. Lawrence County District Attorney Gary Pasqua says his office would have identified the problem and petitioned against the release if he was properly notified about the bond hearing.

He said something like this should never happen.

"Unfortunately we weren't brought in to review the bond paperwork," he said.

Pasqua said that when the court makes an inquiry about bond paperwork his office has the right to be there, but says the court left him out of the process.

"Had we been there, we would have seen the property listed and we would have protested the release," he said.

Judge Storie has held other bail hearings without notifying the district attorney's office in the past as well.

"We made a request not that long ago to be present any time a bail bondsman appeared as we had heard that it had been happening without us," he said.

Pasqua said his office made an application for a bench warrant for Brown to reappear in court after the fraudulent collateral was discovered. Fortunately Brown has since been apprehended again after he turned himself in.

"It's unfortunate that this occurred. He should have never been released. If you can just say you own a piece of property and use it as collateral without any oversight then what's the point of having a system," he said.

Pasqua said the property was acquired by his office through forfeiture and that it had been a known location for drug activity in the city.

He said despite constant complaints and arrests made there, the activity did not stop, which led law enforcement to take action to obtain the property to stop the activity.

Pasqua says that state bail reforms have made it difficult to keep accused felons behind bars as they await trial. He said Brown was one of the few who met the criteria and that for him to be released on fraudulent grounds is extremely frustrating.

He said an improper release like this can also put law enforcement at risk. Initially Brown was swept up in a bust that was made using sealed indictments. Catching accused criminals without notifying makes apprehension easier and safer.

"Anytime an individual knows that they are being sought by law enforcement you know that there are inherent risks. This is no different. The sealed incitements we used last week were done so for a reason," he said.