PARIS — Roughly four and a half months after he was charged with operating under the influence, police Chief Michael Madden has been suspended for 30 nonconsecutive days without pay.

Town Manager Amy Bernard issued a news release Tuesday saying the town had concluded its internal investigation of Madden’s arrest.

The investigation was multifaceted, including an in-depth internal investigation conducted by the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Department, according to the statement.

No further information was given on the Sheriff Department’s investigation, but the release said Madden’s suspension took effect Thursday, April 2.

Madden earns $59,000 a year, according to Bernard. His monthlong suspension will cost him $4,916.

Lt. Jeffrey Lange is acting chief in Madden’s absence.

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Nonconsecutive days of suspension were administered “to minimize the impact to the community and enable the Police Department (to continue) to run in a professional and efficient manner,” according to Bernard’s statement.

She said Madden would address the community at a Board of Selectmen meeting in the near future.

Outgoing Chairman Ryan Lorrain said Tuesday that the public holds law enforcement officers to a higher standard and that the whole situation is frustrating, for him and the public.

“(I want) to make sure things are done right and not swept under the rug,” he said.

Madden’s Portland-based attorney, Matt Nichols, has repeatedly said the chief has not been shown preferential treatment, and that the delay in the case has been detrimental because Madden wanted to put his arrest behind him.

Madden, 50, of Harrison, was pulled over just after midnight on Nov. 21, 2014, by Cumberland County Sheriff’s Sgt. Andrew Feeney, after police said he was driving erratically in his personal vehicle. Feeney drove Madden home that night and failed to send in the required paperwork to the Secretary of State’s Office to suspend Madden’s license. Feeney did so after the Advertiser Democrat asked about the paperwork in February.

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As part of a plea deal Tuesday, Madden pleaded guilty to misdemeanor operating under the influence, a Class D crime punishable by up to 364 days in jail and $2,000 in fines.

Madden was ordered to pay a $500 fine and his license was suspended for 150 days, starting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 7. That suspension will run concurrent with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles suspension.

Bernard has said a driver’s license is a requirement for the chief’s job.

“Since he is a first-time offender and this was considered (a) non-aggravated OUI, we are assured that with the maximum penalty, he will have the ability to drive after (a) 30-day period with workable restrictions if necessary,” she wrote in the news release.

She wrote that the situation is a personnel matter and that she would not release any further information that could interfere with motor vehicle or criminal proceedings and Madden’s constitutional right to due process.

State law requires that Bernard report Madden’s arrest to the Maine Criminal Justice Academy, which controls certifications for law enforcement officers in Maine.

According to the academy’s director, John Rogers, Bernard made the report as required and Madden’s case will go before the academy’s three-member complaint board for review. That review, Rogers said, provides an opportunity for an officer to explain his or her behavior, which the board will consider before making its recommendation to the full academy board.

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At that point, the board may draft a consent agreement with the officer, or may invoke other penalties, up to and including revocation of a certification of eligibility to work as a police officer in Maine.

Madden’s case is at the very start of this process, Rogers said, and he could not comment further on it. But, he said, the complaint board will review the police report of Madden’s charge and other court documents, and will consider Madden’s conduct and explanation, among other things, during an informal conference before reaching its recommendation.

In some cases in which an officer has been convicted, the full board has the authority to revoke law enforcement certification, but that revocation is not mandatory. Disciplinary options also include reprimand, fines, censure and suspension.

According to Rogers, there are 28 active cases before the board for consideration of decertification or other penalty.

eplace@sunmediagroup.net


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