The husband of Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren was arrested Thursday after being linked to an upstate drug and weapons possession probe, authorities said.
Timothy Granison, 42, was released without bail after he was arraigned on felony drug and weapons possession charges for his role in what Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley called a “mid-level drug organization” that operated out of the city his wife was elected to lead.
“There are going to be people out there who think this is politically motivated, but it’s not,” Doorley said. “This was a long term investigation stemming for close to seven months.”
In a defiant statement Thursday, Warren called the timing of the arrest a political hit job meant to derail her primary campaign.
“Why would they do this now? Cause they saw, like you saw, that the momentum was building in our favor in the mayoral race,” she said. “And I was going to be found innocent in my election law case, because I did nothing wrong.
“There’s nothing implicating me in these charges announced today, cause I’ve done nothing wrong. I haven’t spoken to Tim since his arrest and I’m not standing here to defend him,” Warren said.
“We had a separation agreement that was signed years ago, and we made a conscious decision to co-parent in the best interests of our daughter, to provide her the love and support that she deserves.”
Warren repeatedly referred to her faith, and said she was going through her “Job year,” referring to the
Six other people, including a father and son, were also busted as part of the drug ring, police said. Three unregistered handguns, a rifle, $60,000 in cocaine and crack and $100,000 in cash were found in the searches of the suspects’ homes, Doorley said.
Granison was taken into custody Wednesday after New York State troopers pulled him over with another man and found a large amount of cocaine in his car, Doorley said.
State police executed a search warrant at the Rochester home he shares with Warren, where an unregistered firearm was found in the bedroom. A semi-automatic rifle was also found on the property, authorities said. Cops are trying to confirm if the rifle is legal.
Warren’s pre-teen daughter Taylor was alone in the home when cops arrived and was handed over to a family member.
Troopers closed off the block and searched the home for hours. They were later seen taking several items from the residence.
DA Doorley said Rochester police got a tip about the drug ring seven months ago and authorized a wire tap of the suspects’ phones.
Within four months, Granison had fallen into their net, Doorley said.
“We had a target and we began to go up on phones,” the district attorney explained. “During the course of the investigation it became apparent he was a player in the narcotics ring and we followed the evidence. It’s as simple as that. “
When it became clear that Granison was involved, Doorley asked the New York State police to take over the investigation “to preserve the integrity of the investigation.”
Warren does not face any criminal charges in this case. State police investigators want to question her about what she knows, but by Thursday afternoon hadn’t set up an interview, Major Barry Chase of the state troopers said.
Doorley would not say if Warren was recorded on the wire taps or if she will be could face charges in the future.
“At this point we’re not done with the investigation,” she said. “It’s still ongoing.”
Granison was on probation for five years after being arrested for a 1997 jewelry store robbery when he was 17 years old. Two other men were sentenced to prison terms for their roles in that robbery.
Authorities carry bags out of the home. This is as close as I can get – focus is in the middle of this video. @News_8 https://t.co/xeMpXJvddo pic.twitter.com/rw94AnVGJs
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His arrest was disclosed just before Warren’s first inauguration.
Warren said Granison was judged as a youthful offender and his file sealed, and that he did not have a criminal record.
She pointed to him as an example of someone who had turned his life around and said he learned from the experience.
Warren, a Democrat, is in the middle of a reelection campaign for a third term with a critical party primary coming up next month.
In October, she was indicted for breaking campaign finance rules during her re-election four years ago. When the fraud charges were filed, Warren acknowledged the errors, but said they were honest mistakes, not crimes.
She also faced demands to resign last summer over her handling the death of Daniel Prude, a Black man held down naked and handcuffed on a Rochester street until he stopped breathing.
Police and city officials said almost nothing publicly about the death for months until Prude’s family obtained and released body camera video showing the death.
The release of the police body camera footage led to weeks of protests. A grand jury failed to file charges against the cops involved.
In April, a federal civil rights lawsuit was filed naming Warren and other city officials, accusing them of allowing a culture of police brutality against racial minorities.
With News wire services
