By ANDY GARDNER

MASSENA -- District Attorney Mary Rain is refuting claims made by an attorney that there has been no plea offer in the Sandy Cook drug case.

The well-know radio host is facing a misdemeanor charge of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance stemming from a February police raid on his home.

“We don’t have a plea offer from the district attorney. We haven’t had an opportunity to speak about Sandy’s case. The assistant district attorney (assigned to the case) is leaving office … we’re not sure who’s going to be assigned,” Cook’s attorney Edward Narrow said late Friday morning.

Several hours later, District Attorney Mary Rain contacted North Country Now and said that’s not true.

“We’ve had several conferences with him. The fact hat he doesn’t want the plea deal is a different story,” Rain said.

Narrow did not return a phone call seeking comment.

Narrow blamed what he claimed was the lack of a plea deal on Assistant District Attorney Sarah Clothier’s resignation. She is assigned to the case and late last month it was announce she would leave Rain’s office for a job elsewhere.

“It has nothing to do with Sarah leaving. There is a prosecutor assigned to it. That’s a total fabrication,” Rain said, adding that she isn’t sure exactly when the deal was passed to Narrow. “Sarah is the one who reached out to Ed and made the offer.”

Officials with Massena Village Court said the case is listed as ready to go to trial, although no date is scheduled.

“With no plea offer … it would be against my advice to go in and just plead to the charge,” Narrow said late Friday morning.

Rain says her office is prepared to try the case.

“The defense can start filing motions. They don’t want to accept the plea, that’s fine and we can head to trial. It’s a misdemeanor, it’s in local court and we’re ready to go,” according to Rain. “We still continue to work our cases, regardless of whether people are coming or going. All cases have prosecutors.”

Cook and a co-defendant, Edward Slade, were charged Feb. 12 after village police raided their 96 Cook St. residence.

A search warrant turned up heroin, crack cocaine and hypodermic needles, police said at the time.

They were each charged with one count of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor.

About two weeks later on Feb. 27, Massena Police charged Hannah L. Hayden, 24, also of 96 Cook St. with two counts each of third-degree criminal sale and possession of a controlled substance, felonies. Investigators at the time said her arrest is connected to Cook and Slade’s cases, and that she allegedly sold crack cocaine and possessed the drug with intent to distribute.

Massena Court officials said Slade and Cook’s cases are each listed as going to trial, but no date has been scheduled. Slade is in a drug rehabilitation facility in Pennsylvania, court officials said. Hayden is being prosecuted in St. Lawrence County Court.

Narrow said he hopes the Cook case can be resolved before going to trial.

“We are hopeful there can be a resolution of this matter short of a trial,” Narrow said. “The DA’s office is short-staffed. We’d like to have discussions with them.”

Cook, a mainstay on the airwaves for more than 40 years as the host of WMSA 1340 AM’s morning show, has been off the air since his arrest.

“He’s off the air until further notice,” Mark Gaines said Feb. 16. He is a regional manager for Stevens Media Group Watertown and Massena markets, which owns WMSA.

Narrow says people shouldn’t rush to judge Cook, who has yet to be convicted of anything.

“People need to be mindful that Sandy still enjoys the presumption of innocence … the people haven’t met their burden yet to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt,” Narrow said. “Be patient and withhold judgment on Mr. Cook until all the facts are known.”