WALDOBORO, Maine — A police shooting in Waldoboro in 2007, which was highly controversial at the time, could become the focus of a legal fight between Maine’s Attorney General and the District Attorney for Lincoln County.
D.A. Natasha Irving told Village Soup Friday she intends to bring murder charges against former Waldoboro Police office Zachary Curtis, even though the Attorney General says only the A.G. can bring such charges against a police officer.
The case goes back to the shooting death of Gregori Jackson of Whitefield, who was riding in a car that office Curtis stopped on the road to Friendship. Jackson reportedly had an altercation with Curtis on the side of the road and then ran into the woods. Curtis chased him into the woods and Jackson was shot to death.
The Attorney General’s investigation at the time found the shooting justified, stating that Curtis had been attacked in the woods by Jackson, and shot him while they were fighting on the ground, with Jackson on top of the officer.
But Rep. Jeff Evangelos (I-Friendship) and District Attorney Natasha Irving argue that an independent review led by them and others shows Officer Curtis’ story wasn’t credible.
Evangelos told NEWS CENTER Maine they have statements from the former Deputy Medical Examiner who examined the body and concluded the bullet wounds did not happen the way the officer said they did.
Evangelos says they took all the information to Attorney General Aaron Frey a year ago, to urge him to file charges in the case, but he has not done so.
Evangelos and D.A. Irving have scheduled a press conference in Augusta for Thursday morning to talk more about the case, and how they intend to pursue it.
Irving told NEWS CENTER Maine Monday that she believes she does have the legal authority to seek a murder charge in the case.
“I’m not sitting back any longer. I have authority to charge murder and that’s what I’m going to do.”
The District Attorney acknowledged it may end up in a legal debate, in court, with the Attorney General.
