SHERIFF SAYS KILLING DRUG RELATED

'Targeted Residence': Investigators Find Large Amounts Of Pot, Cash, Rifle

WINTHROP - A town of Stockholm man who died after being shot during an
altercation at his home was the targeted victim of a drug-related
killing, St. Lawrence County Sheriff Kevin M. Wells said Wednesday
following the discovery of a massive amount of marijuana and money at
his home.

Daniel P. Simonds, 31, of 649 Porter Lynch Road, died at 7:10 a.m.
Tuesday at a Vermont hospital of a single gunshot wound suffered
during a struggle that took place about 12:40 a.m. Tuesday.

While suspects believed to be involved in the shooting remain unknown
and at large, Mr. Wells said they are not believed to be a danger to
other residents of the tiny hamlet of Brookdale where Mr. Simonds lived.

"We don't feel the suspects are a danger to the neighborhood. They
have left. This was a targeted residence," Mr. Wells said.

Since the shooting, investigators combing the Simonds property have
found 140 pounds of high-grade hydroponic marijuana with an estimated
street value between $280,000 and $420,000, between $50,000 and
$60,000 in cash and a Russian-made .308 caliber Saiga hunting rifle
with telescopic sight.

The marijuana contains about three times the active ingredient THC of
ordinary marijuana, a Drug Enforcement Administration agent said
during an afternoon press conference in Canton.

The marijuana was found in an unregistered silver Chevrolet pickup
truck parked in the yard of the Simonds home, Mr. Wells said. An
additional 34 marijuana plants, each 4 to 6 feet tall, were found
growing in the basement of the home, which featured high-intensity
lights and a powerful ventilation system.

Also recovered during investigation of the shooting was a gray hooded
sweat shirt stained with what is believed to be Mr. Simonds's blood.
It was found beside Mahoney Road, a few miles from the shooting scene,
Mr. Wells said.

The small-caliber handgun believed used in the shooting has not been
recovered, the sheriff said.

In light of the evidence gathered to date, Mr. Wells said Mr. Simonds
was the victim of a drug-related killing, although it is unknown what
motivated it.

"This attack, this killing, was drug related. This was not a random
act by the suspects. This was a targeted residence where they were
looking for drugs or cash," Mr. Wells said.

Although Mr. Simonds, an electrician, worked until recently on the St.
Regis Mohawk Reservation, there is no evidence linking Tuesday's
shooting to that area, Mr. Wells said.

"There is no connection that we have made to any area. But we haven't
ruled out anything," the sheriff said.

Mr. Simonds's girlfriend, whose name has not been released out of
concerns for her safety, has been questioned but did not witness the
struggle or shooting in which he died, Mr. Wells said.

District Attorney Nicole M. Duve spent part of Tuesday morning at the
crime scene. The investigation involves deputies, state police, DEA
agents and Canadian police.

"At some point we are expecting them to catch whoever did this," Ms.
Duve said. "Our job as prosecutors is to paint a picture of what
happened for the jury. It is easier to do when we have been there."