BY JEFF CHUDZINSKI
North Country This Week

CANTON — Undersheriff Sean O’Brien, who was running for St. Lawrence County Sheriff, has withdrawn from the race.

Deputy Commissioner of the Board of Elections Jesse Sovie confirmed to North Country This Week that O’Brien filed paperwork to be removed from the ballot earlier today, July 7.

O’Brien lost the Republican primary in June to Patrick “Rick” Engle, though he was slated to appear on the ballot on the Conservative line.

“After great consideration and in consultation with my family, I have decided to suspend my campaign for St. Lawrence County Sheriff. It has been a pleasure and one of my greatest honors serving the community for the last 20 years. I respect the Republican electorate and will move forward with the next chapter in my life. I sincerely appreciate all of our supporters, their time, and dedication to my campaign. I’d especially like to thank the Conservative party for having the confidence in me as their candidate and for their genuine and unwavering support throughout this process. I am looking forward to a brighter, more peaceful, and positive future for me and my family. Again, thank you and am infinitely grateful to those who supported and believed in my vision for St. Lawrence County,” O’Brien wrote in a statement.

O’Brien was named Sheriff Brooks Bigwarfe’s Undersheriff in 2020.

After graduating Ogdensburg Free Academy, he attended SUNY Canton where he obtained a degree in Criminal Justice. In January 2003, almost two decades ago, he was sworn in as a Police Officer and attended the David Sullivan Law Enforcement Academy at SUNY Canton.

While attending the Police Academy, he was an active member for the Ogdensburg Rescue Squad, the Ogdensburg dive team and the Morristown Fire Department.

He worked part-time for the village of Antwerp in Jefferson County and the Norfolk Town Police before joining the St. Lawrence County Sheriff's Office.

During his career, he worked for Sheriff Gary Jarvis, Sheriff Kevin Wells and Sheriff Bigwarfe.

Engle, who won the primary by a nearly 2-1 margin last month, appears poised to be the only candidate on the ballot for sheriff this November.

Engle, who lives in Lisbon, is a 20-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office.

He previously served in the United States Marine Corps.

In an interview with NCTW on Friday, Engle said he fully intends to press forward with his campaign despite O’Brien dropping from the race.

“This doesn’t change anything for me. I still intend to show the people who I am. I’m still going to meet with the people of St. Lawrence County to find out their needs and find ways to address those needs,” Engle said.

Engle also said he intends to continue to attend town and village board meetings throughout the year, while also meeting with volunteer fire and rescue departments.

“They’re really the pillars of the community and we need to do everything we can to support them and to have strong working relationships with them,” Engle told NCTW.

Future campaign events include events in Edwards and Fowler, with meet and greets scheduled throughout the summer.

Engle said as more events are scheduled, his campaign will continue to announce them to keep the public informed.

When asked about the primary election, Engle said he was slightly shocked but excited to see just how many voters went to the polls last month.

“To see just over 20% come out to vote in an off year election shows that people were paying attention and really cared,” he said.

In a previous interview with North Country This Week, Engle said his priorities include expanding the county’s school resource officer program, tackling the drug epidemic plaguing the county and protecting Second Amendment rights. He says as sheriff he believes he can improve morale of the sheriff’s deputies, the corrections officers inside the sheriff’s office and rebuild relationships with other law enforcement agencies. Engle will also run as an independent.

In his primary consolation, O’Brien told NCTW it was disheartening to see only 20% of the Republican electorate go to the polls for the primary.

"We respect the Republican electorate but when less than 20% of the Republican Party comes out to vote, it is disheartening. We will evaluate these results and look at how we progress moving forward," he said.

Improving school safety, growing the drug task force and establishing a SWAT-style emergency response team were just a few of the ideas O’Brien pushed for during his campaign.

O’Brien said he would also continue to protect Second Amendment rights, continue to increase transparency between the sheriff’s office and the public and continue to make improvements at the St. Lawrence County Correctional Facility.