FARMINGTON – Commissioners hired a former Farmington police officer and current Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office deputy and his dog, Jack, as a full-time Franklin County deputy Tuesday.

Christopher Chase of Wilton, who had for a brief time been the resource officer at Mt. Blue High School before he left Farmington police, is expected to come on board in mid-September.

Chase will start at a base wage of $11.99 an hour and then after his probationary period receive compensation for time served in his law enforcement career.

Chase will fill a vacancy left when Deputy Aaron Turcotte took a position with the Maine State Police, Franklin County Sheriff Dennis Pike said Tuesday during the commissioners’ meeting.

Chase has seven years full-time experience and is currently a trained dog handler at the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office.

Pike said with Chase’s dog trained in tracking, it will give the Franklin department three deputies with police dogs to cover three shifts and should eliminate overtime for call-out when a tracking dog is needed.

Pike said he reviewed feeding bills and average veterinary costs and he expects to be able to cover those and still reduce the overtime costs.

“I can hardly wait until we have more K-9s than” human beings, commission Chairman Fred Hardy of New Sharon said.

Pike said all three candidates for the position were “exemplary officers.”

In other business, commissioners accepted a $23,990 bid from Quirk Chevrolet for a 2007 Ford Explorer pending it meets the specifications to replace a 2002 Ford Explorer cruiser totaled in an accident a few months ago.

Deputy Sandy Burke had been responding to a report of a burglary in Carthage and went off the road during a rainstorm on Route 156 in Weld and the vehicle ended up in a ditch.

He was not injured, Pike said.

With about $23,540 left in the Sheriff Department’s vehicle account, commissioners voted to take up to $1,500 from the general fund to put into the vehicle account to outfit it with police gear for the road and to make up the difference in the bid price.

The county did receive about $10,000 from the insurance company that is included in the vehicle account line.

The other bid to replace the cruiser was from Hight Chevrolet of Farmington for $30,299 for a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe.

Commissioners also opened three bids for mental health and substance abuse and turned them over to jail officials to review.

The bids ranged from $75,000 to $205,920.

The panel also approved Tara Hamlin of Strong as a part-time cook at the jail.