LEWISTON – A spokesman for the Maine Attorney General’s Office denied Thursday that criminal charges brought this week against Mayor Lionel C. Guay had any political overtones.
Guay was charged Tuesday with three counts of unlawful sexual touching and four counts of assault.
The state says he groped a high school girl on three occasions between February and September. The charge alleges that he felt her breasts on two occasions, her buttocks several times on one day, and that he kissed her on the mouth.
Guay, 64, says he’s innocent.
Guay’s lawyer, Jennifer Ferguson, said Wednesday that the state rushed its investigation to file charges because it didn’t want to be accused of waiting until after next week’s municipal election.
Guay is running for re-election to a second two-year term. He’s opposed by Charles Soule, a perennial candidate.
Ferguson said the state didn’t bother to speak with several people who Guay maintained would dispute the allegations made against him.
The Attorney General’s Office differs.
“We had all the information we needed to support the charges so they were filed just as we do in any case,” said Chuck Dow, a spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office.
“The state’s evidence will come out in due time,” Dow said when asked if there was more to the case than simply “he said/she said” accounts.
The state’s criminal complaint claims that Guay sexually touched or assaulted the girl on Feb. 11, March 15 and Sept. 26. It was filed without any documenting affidavits or other evidence.
The Attorney General’s Office was called by Lewiston police on Oct. 12 or 13, Dow said, to conduct the investigation. That’s typical in cases involving elected officials, he said.
“We handled it due to a perceived conflict of interest” that could arise if city police officers were investigating the mayor.
Guay and City Administrator Jim Bennett have both said the charges are unrelated in any way to the mayor’s municipal duties.
Guay has been scheduled for an initial court appearance on the charges at 1 p.m. Nov. 16. Ferguson said he’ll waive that appearance and plead not guilty to the charges once a formal arraignment is set.
The charges are misdemeanor crimes. Penalties could include a fine of as much as $2,000 or a 364-day jail term, or both, on each count.
Dow said Leanne Robbin, an assistant attorney general who heads the office’s financial crimes and civil rights divisions, will prosecute the case.
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