OXFORD, Maine — Oxford County commissioners on Wednesday took the rare step of asking Maine Gov. Janet Mills to remove a sheriff accused of improprieties including the transfer of guns from an evidence locker to a gun dealer without proper notification or documentation.
Describing Sheriff Christopher Wainwright as “unworthy” of the job, the commissioners said in a 10-page complaint that there's no room for a sheriff who holds himself “above the policies that he is charged with administering, above the ethical responsibilities that he swore an oath to uphold, and the laws that he is charged with enforcing.”
Wainwright said he’s acknowledged mistakes and apologized for them. “But let me be clear, there is nothing about my conduct in office, personally or professionally, that merits my removal,” he said Wednesday in a written statement.
Under the Maine Constitution, the governor is the only person who can remove sheriffs, who are elected.
Mills takes the constitutional authority seriously and will consult with the attorney general before establishing an impartial review process and providing the sheriff with an opportunity to respond, Ben Goodman, spokesperson for the governor, said Wednesday.
There was no timetable for a decision, he said.
Wainwright faced several accusations in 2022 and 2023, including urging a deputy to go easy on an acquaintance cited for a traffic violation and allowing two school resource officers to carry guns even though they lacked proper law enforcement certifications to do so.
The gun transaction involved dozens of weapons that were given to a gun shop without notifying county officials or recording the transaction, commissioners said. The sheriff's office didn't receive cash but received credits for service weapons and ammunition in return, officials said.
Wainwright has not faced any charges related to the allegations.
Meanwhile, the complaint to the governor shed light on another sale of public property by the sheriff — exercise equipment — even as the propriety of his gun transfer was being investigated.
"The sheriff’s willful and knowing violation of county policy and state law while under active investigation for the same behavior is a significant and meaningful indication that the sheriff has no intention of following the law or county policy going forward,” commissioners wrote.
Wainwright declined an interview request Wednesday. Amy Dieterich, attorney for Oxford County, met with NEWS CENTER Maine Wednesday afternoon and said this kind of action is rare.
"The governor’s office has, on a few occasions in the history of Maine, taken action to remove a sitting sheriff, but it is relatively uncommon and it has not happened in quite some time," Dieterich said. She added that the board had painstakingly tried to remedy the issues directly with Wainwright in the years and months before Wednesday’s vote.
"The commissioners made this decision only after exhausting every other option with the sheriff and feel like they were left with no choice, other than to pursue this route," she explained.