BETHEL — Town Manager James Doar declined Monday to substantiate rumors that he fired police Chief Alan Carr on Friday at the town office.

Instead, Doar, who can hire and fire his staff, said Monday by e-mail, “Chief Carr is currently unavailable.”

“While he is unavailable, the next ranking officer has been delegated the responsibility to schedule officers for me, but administrative decisions are being made by me,” Doar said. “There is no interim chief.”

But whether that means Carr of Albany Township is on a paid leave of absence or suspended, or he quit or was dismissed, is unknown.

Doar said he wouldn’t comment on any personnel action.

He said if there was an action, the employee has five days to appeal to the Board of Selectmen. Additionally, any final discipline would have to wait until a five-day window on the appeal had expired.

“I wish I wasn’t gagged, but the employee has a right to privacy,” Doar said. “I won’t say any more about the chief due to privacy concerns.”

Efforts to reach both Doar and Carr on Friday afternoon were unsuccessful. A town office secretary said Doar wasn’t taking any phone calls that afternoon and Carr did not return calls.

When contacted Monday at his Oxford business, Western Maine Public Safety, Carr declined to comment “at this time” on the matter.

However, Carr did add that he might have something to say, “hopefully, in a few days.”

Selectmen Chairman Stanley Howe and Selectmen Don Bennett, Jack Cross, Dennis Doyon and Robert Everett, have also refrained from comment.

When asked who the police chief is, following Monday night’s special board meeting, Howe said it’s still the same person who has had the job all along.

Carr, who retired in 2002 from 25 years as a Maine State trooper, was hired April 1, 2004, by Doar’s predecessor, Scott Cole, after Cole fired police Chief Darren M. Tripp on Feb. 12, 2004. Selectmen upheld Tripp’s firing on March 11 by a 3-2 vote.

The Sun Journal on Monday filed a request with Doar, seeking disciplinary records of Carr, including any and all disciplinary actions taken regarding the chief’s job performance, and including any letters of reprimand for poor performance during his periods of employment with Bethel.

Under Title 30-A M.R.S.A., Chapter 123, Section 2702, which outlines the confidentiality of personnel records, “If disciplinary action is taken, the final written decision relating to that action is no longer confidential after the decision is completed if it imposes or upholds discipline. The decision must state the conduct or other facts on the basis of which disciplinary action is being imposed and the conclusions of the acting authority as to the reasons for that action.”

The Sun Journal also requested copies of final written decisions related to any other actions by Doar or the town of Bethel pertaining to the discipline of Carr during his term of employment with Bethel.

In other business, Monday night’s special selectmen meeting was not held to discuss anything involving Carr or Doar. Instead, Doar said it was a formality to approve a proposed warrant and set a date for a special town meeting.

That meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5, in the town office to authorize selectmen or Doar to execute necessary grant agreements with the Federal Aviation Administration and Maine Department of Transportation for ongoing capital improvements at Bethel Regional Airport.

Additionally, voters will be asked to authorize selectmen to approve a deed restriction for a buffer between the new skateboard park and the Androscoggin River.

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Regional editor Scott Thistle contributed to this story.