Mayor encourages community to stay calm in face of rash of crimes
by Dan McClelland
The recent incident where police found a burned out truck off McCarthy Street on October 16 generated some comments about public safety from Mayor Paul Maroun at the October 19 village board meeting.
State police in recent weeks identified the body of the man found in the wreckage of the black 2009 GMC Sierra as Ross L. Goodenough, 72.
There had been rumors in the community shortly after the truck was found that foul play was involved.
A pathologist at Ellis Hospital in Schenectady in an autopsy in the days following the discovery of the body determined the cause of death as smoke inhalation.
“I talked with the chief and although it was not in our jurisdiction,” we have received many calls from the community, in addition to the many calls from the media in the North Country, the mayor began that evening.
“We don’t believe there is an imminent danger to anyone in the community, based on what happened down there!”
Chief Eric Proulx echoed that comment.
“As you know, however, there are other issues in the community,” he added, pointing to a growing frequency of drug-related crimes in Tupper Lake this year.
The mayor concurred “there are troubling issues in the community” right now.
The chief elaborated somewhat. “We have two active investigations” of crimes within the last week where “accelerant” was placed on two houses in the middle of the night and lit on fire. “That’s the kind of stuff we’re seeing!”
Chief Proulx said there have also been several “home invasions” where homes were illegally entered with the residents still inside.
“The types of crime we have been seeing is nothing like anything I have seen in my 29 years in the department!”
“It’s taxing my four or five available officers. We’re four and five weeks behind in our work. It’s utterly ridiculous the amount of work we’re behind in right now!”
Mayor Maroun reflected a bit that evening on the department’s chronic shortage of officers, which forced the village board this past summer to move the police department to a one 12-hour shift per day arrangement.
“Just so people know, we continue to search for new police officers. There are no officers thinking about transferring in or candidates thinking about applying for jobs here.”
“We are trying and we will continue to try!” he asserted.