OXFORD COUNTY, Maine — For now, commissioners in Oxford County will not ask the governor to remove Sheriff Christopher Wainwright from office.
Sheriff Wainwright has been under investigation for his handling of a traffic violation that some of his deputies said made them uneasy — actions county commissioners called disappointing and offensive.
Recorded phone calls revealed Wainwright allegedly pressured two deputies to go easy on an acquaintance cited for a traffic violation, according to a joint statement put out by the commissioners.
"The citizen’s sister was facing a potentially terminal health issue and I wanted to help her by asking the deputy to do what he could to seek leniency if or when the matter went to court," Wainright explained in a statement.
The sheriff admitted to then being angry with his deputies after they reported his request through the chain of command.
"Upon learning of the sheriff’s recorded phone calls with two Oxford County deputies, and the sheriff’s unethical request for leniency for an acquaintance of his, the county administrator requested that the county’s attorney procure an independent investigation from an outside law firm, so that we could have an impartial view of the facts," county commissioners said.
Although unethical, the investigation found the sheriff committed no crime, said the commissioners. Additionally, they decided to not recommend his removal from office.
"... at this time, it is better to give the sheriff an opportunity to follow through on his commitments for self-improvement and to demonstrate that he can conduct himself in a manner befitting his office," the commissioners added.
Sheriff Wainwright said he plans to take management training classes.
"While my actions were not criminal, they were unprofessional and wrong," he said in a statement. "I was wrong. I am sorry."
This is not the first scandal involving an Oxford County sheriff. In 2017, then-Sheriff Wayne Gallant resigned following an investigation into claims that he sent lewd pictures of himself and propositioned at least two employees for sex.