Former Massena mayor Currier pleads guilty to failure to obey police officer during Dec. 1 arrest
Jun. 7—MASSENA — The village's former mayor and police chief has been sentenced to pay a $150 fine and a $93 court surcharge related to his arrest in December.
Timmy J. Currier pleaded guilty in Morristown Town Court on Monday to failing to obey a police officer in violation of state Vehicle and Traffic Law §1102 in full satisfaction of his charges.
Mr. Currier had been charged at about 12:25 p.m. Dec. 1 with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, tampering with physical evidence and failure to comply with a police officer after deputies attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the former mayor's vehicle on Center Street.
The St. Lawrence County Sheriff's Office reported Mr. Currier, the only occupant of his vehicle, failed to pull over and continued driving for roughly one-third of a mile through the village. Officers said they observed Mr. Currier throwing about one gram of crack cocaine out of his passenger window before stopping his vehicle near the intersection of Center and Willow streets.
Mr. Currier was arraigned virtually by Morristown Town Justice James T. Phillips Jr. and released on appearance tickets.
He announced the next day he would take a leave of absence from his mayoral seat, with Deputy Mayor Matthew J. LeBire handling the day-to-day operations of the village. He announced his resignation Jan. 19. His term was set to expire Nov. 30, 2022. Former trustee Timothy J. Ahlfeld has since been appointed to fill the position until the November election.
"It is my duty to fight for justice for the citizens of St. Lawrence County," St. Lawrence County District Attorney Gary M. Pasqua said in a prepared statement Monday. "My Office seeks an outcome in every case that ensures the protection of the community and an appropriate sentence for the offender that holds them responsible for their actions.
"In this case," he continued, "the defendant had no criminal record prior to the time of the offense. No probable cause was found to charge the defendant with any additional narcotics crimes following a thorough investigation by the St. Lawrence County Sheriff's Office and the Department of Homeland Security. In addition, the defendant voluntarily resigned from his position as Mayor of the Village of Massena and participated in a recovery program.
"At the same time, no one is above the law. He needed to be held accountable for what occurred on December 1st of last year. That happened today with his acceptance of responsibility for his actions. This is a fair and just outcome based on the facts and circumstances of this case," he said.
Mr. Pasqua thanked the St. Lawrence County Sheriff's Office, the St. Lawrence County Drug Task Force, the Department of Homeland Security and all other law enforcement that assisted in the case.
