By JIMMY LAWTON

CANTON -- Democratic candidate for St. Lawrence County District Attorney Jim Monroe is refusing to confirm whether he wrote a Facebook post in which he allegedly refers to Jesus as "a piece of shit” and Donald Trump as a “fascist.”

“Although I don’t remember the specifics in certain Facebook comments you presented, I know that I was in shock like [img_assist|nid=220355|title=Monroe|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=200|height=200]millions of other people in the early morning hours of November 9th last year,” Monroe said in an prepared statement to NorthCountryNow.com.

The post allegedly written by Monroe says, “Trump is a fascist and there is no god. Sorry your jesus is just a flaky imaginary piece of shit.”

The Facebook post in question appeared on former Canton resident Valerie Ann Viers-DeMaio’s Facebook page the day after Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in the presidential election. DeMaio, who supported Trump in the race, said she was shocked by the win.

“Nothing in the posts reflect my personal beliefs with regard to religion. I have a deep respect for people’s religious beliefs. I was brought up as a Catholic and my mother is a practicing Catholic,” Monroe said.

When asked directly if he wrote the post, Monroe said he did not know.

“It doesn’t sound like something I would write,” he said in brief phone interview.

“I don’t have anything more to say about this. I won’t be drawn into taking the low road because that is not what I do. I live here and I will still live here after the election. I intend to serve the community and do so with integrity,” he said in the prepared statement.

DeMaio said she was shocked by the post. She said she is sure it was written by Monroe as another family member of his also posted several derogatory remarks. The screen shot above shows Monroe allegedly referring to her as an alcoholic.

“I don’t even drink. I have MS and was a registered nurse for 25 years,” she said.

“He was just a filthy pig on my page. He showed he had no respect for woman, but the worst thing he did was making fun of god. That really hurt me. I actually cried,” she said.

DeMaio said she and Monroe knew each other growing up but were not close. She said she had always thought well of him before the post.

DeMaio says she reported the incident to Facebook after it occurred and it was later removed. She also says she forgives Monroe and hopes it was a brief lapse in judgment.

As for Monroe, he says the circulating screenshots are just a political ploy.

“This October surprise is desperate attempt by to take us away from the serious issues that face our county,” he said in his statement.

Monroe says he is still willing to discuss real problems facing the county, but won’t talk about the alleged post any longer.

“I will talk about issues and solutions to the problems that we are experiencing in our courts because of a dysfunctional District Attorney’s office. I will talk about staffing and retention of the most qualified people, about respect for the people I serve, and the laws that I have sworn to uphold. I will talk about working both inside and outside of the courtroom to combat the scourge of drugs in our community.”

He is facing Republican Gary Pasqua for district attorney in the Nov. 7 election.