Wanted businessman turns himself in

Local News

Discussion

PLEASE NOTE: There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.

Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.

Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.

We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:

There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.

Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.

Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)

Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”

Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.

Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.

Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.

In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.

Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.

We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.

comments powered by Disqus

November 24, 2009

By ANDREA VanVALKENBURG The Press Republican Tue Nov 24, 2009, 03:59 PM EST

PLATTSBURGH — A Plattsburgh businessman suspected of dealing cocaine has turned himself in.

Champy’s Gas N Go owner Stephen Giroux has been wanted on a warrant since he failed to show up for his September drug trial.

The 52-year-old has been facing felony drug-sale and -possession charges since last spring, when he was indicted by a Clinton County grand jury.

At the time of his arrest, Giroux was already behind bars for allegedly violating the terms of his probation and court orders.

He was later released from custody on $50,000 cash bail.

After authorities said that Giroux had fled, his attorney, Edward Narrow, said his client had left the area to enter a rehabilitation program.

Regardless of the reason for his departure, authorities issued a warrant for his arrest when he failed to show up for trial.

On Monday night, accompanied by his attorney, Giroux turned himself in to the Clinton County Sheriff’s Department.

He appeared briefly in Clinton County Court Tuesday afternoon and was returned to County Jail without bail.

Giroux was expected to be processed and arraigned on a new felony bail-jumping charge later Tuesday.

A new trial date has not been set.

Giroux is well-known in the community after having owned and operated Champy’s car wash for several years. Last year, Giroux opened a convenience store at the site, which is located at the corner of Weed Street and Boynton Avenue.

He was arrested after an Adirondack Drug Task Force investigation allegedly linked him to a cocaine sale in February 2009.

Giroux has pleaded not guilty to charges of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance.

He has never publicly commented on the allegations.

E-mail Andrea VanValkenburg at:

avanvalkenburg@pressrepublican.com