AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Gov. Janet Mills plans to act within “a reasonable amount of time” on whether to remove a sheriff accused of improprieties following the completion of two days of hearings Wednesday, a spokesperson said.
Former Supreme Judicial Court Justice Donald Alexander, who presided over the sessions Monday and Wednesday, will make a recommendation whether Oxford County Sheriff Christopher Wainwright should be fired, but the final decision lies with the governor.
Wainwright has been accused of urging a deputy to go easy on an acquaintance cited for a traffic violation, letting two school resource officers carry guns even though they lacked the necessary certifications and transferring dozens of guns from an evidence locker to a dealer for sale without proper notification or documentation.
The sheriff, who was was elected in 2018 and reelected in 2022, said he believed he had the authority to sell the guns and did not benefit from the transaction. He also said that he was not involved in the hiring of the school resource officers in 2018, when he was chief deputy, and that he made a mistake in intervening in the traffic ticket.
Youngkin will visit Europe for his third international trade mission as Virginia governor
Home values rising in Detroit, especially for Black homeowners, study shows
Ecuador rations electricity as drought persists in the northern Andes
Married couple are charged with fraud after 'dine
Traveler issues severe warning to any 'morning people' who want to visit Argentina
Buttler's unbeaten century helps Rajasthan beat Kolkata off final ball
Boston Marathon winners hope victories will earn them spot in Paris Olympics
Texas Instruments, Mattel rise; General Dynamics, Teledyne fall, Wednesday, 4/24/2024
Nadal returns to action with easy win over Cobolli in first round of Barcelona Open
Durek Verrett labels Princess Martha Louise of Norway his 'sun and moon'
Texas inmate Melissa Lucio's death sentence should be overturned, judge says