Maine Gov. Janet Mills has decided not to remove Oxford County's sheriff, after county commissioners petitioned for his dismissal.
Oxford County commissioners, in their petition to remove Oxford County Sheriff Christopher Wainwright, outlined three specific allegations, including:
- The sheriff asked a deputy to be lenient after one of his acquaintances was ticked for an OUI;
- Wainwright secretly sold guns to a local dealer out of an office evidence room;
- And finally, that he supervised two school resource officers who lacked law enforcement certification.
To evaluate the petition, Mills appointed former Maine Supreme Court Justice Donald Alexander. In his advisory decision, Alexander recommended against removing the sheriff, saying Wainwright had not violated any state laws or codes of ethics.
In a written opinion, Mills said she agreed with the justice's recommendation, but that the sheriff had made mistakes and acted inappropriately, and that he was not vindicated by keeping his office.
In Maine, the governor has sole authority to remove a sheriff from office.
