PARIS, Maine — The Oxford County Board of Commissioners confirmed its intentions to send a formal complaint against Sheriff Christopher Wainwright to Gov. Janet Mills.
Under Maine law, only the governor has the power to suspend or remove an elected sheriff from their position.
The commissioners said Thursday during a meeting that they were still working with their attorney to finalize the complaint but planned to file the formal document with the governor's office sometime next week.
In a statement, the three commissioners, Steven Merrill, David Duguay, and Timothy Turner called Wainwright's tenure as sheriff "tumultuous" and said they had to spend a lot of time "dealing with, mitigating, and resolving mistakes made and crises generated" by the sheriff. They also called his actions a "negative distraction."
The vote, the commissioners said, was not taken lightly, hastily, or "without pursuing every other available option over the course of several years," but they said pursuing his removal was the only option at this time.
The commissioners claim Wainwright's mistakes cost Oxford County "tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars and hundreds of hours that could have been better spent on projects that would benefit all of Oxford County's citizens."
Duguay said during the meeting that Wainwright will continue to perform his duties as sheriff as this process plays out.
NEWS CENTER Maine reached out to the sheriff for comment Thursday. He did not respond. However, he sent a statement Wednesday evening that said he was aware of the commissioners' complaint. He also said he is not aware of any developments that would explain this "extraordinary action."
"My first priority is and will continue to be the preservation of the integrity of the Office of Sheriff – restoration of the dignity of that Office, in Oxford County – and the exclusive authority of the Governor in this matter. In that light and with those priorities in mind, I will continue to carry out my duties and obligations to my Office, Oxford County Sheriff’s Office employees, the institution of the Office of Sheriff, the electorate, and others in a dignified and professional manner."
Wainwright was under investigation in May 2023 for his handling of a traffic violation that some of his deputies said made them uneasy. Recorded phone calls revealed Wainwright apparently 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 commissioners did not ask the governor to remove Wainwright from office after last year's investigation. The sheriff apologized for those actions.
According to minutes from their Jan. 16 meeting, Oxford County commissioners referenced Wainwright's actions and omissions regarding the disposal of firearms in 2021 as another reason behind their calls for removal.
Wainwright addressed that situation in an email sent Friday to NEWS CENTER Maine, writing that the majority of the firearms removed for disposal or destruction in 2021 were used in the commission of a crime or involved in a traumatic event. He said no firearms were taken from law-abiding citizens, adding that several of them had been in storage for more than 40 years.
"These firearms were not returned to the offenders because they were unlawful to possess a firearm due to mental health concerns, substance use misuse, or convicted of a felony or a crime of domestic violence," Wainwright wrote. "Some firearms were destroyed because they were illegal for having an altered or removed serial number, or a sawed-off barrel. The other weapons were disposed of to a licensed firearm dealer because they were used in suicides or suicide attempts, and the families did not want them returned."
He said all proceeds from the firearms went directly to the purchasing of equipment for the county.
"Putting these weapons back into the community would have been irresponsible and dangerous, and would have jeopardized the safety of the citizens of Oxford County and the deputies of the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office," Wainwright wrote. "My office redacted some of the information in the reports given to the [Bangor Daily News], involving suicides, suicide attempts, substance use disorders, and other mental health disorders to protect the HIPPA Rights of the individuals and families involved."
They also mentioned his "deficient performance" of contractual obligations with SAD 55 and RSU 10 related to a school resource officer issue.
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The commissioners plan to finalize their formal complaint next week and expect to release the document after an executive meeting on Feb. 7, then it will be sent to the governor's office.
The process to remove a sheriff from office is governed according to Article IX, Section 10 of the Maine Constitution. That Constitutional provision states that the governor may remove an elected sheriff from office "upon complaint, due notice and hearing" if she finds the sheriff "is not faithfully or efficiently performing any duty imposed on the sheriff by law," according to a spokesperson from the governor's office.