Detective congratulated, deputies resign, jail administrator added

FARMINGTON – The topic of public safety occupied most of Monday’s county commissioners’ meeting, with the county accepting the resignations of two deputies, hiring a new assistant jail administrator and issuing requests for bids on improvements to the county’s emergency communications system.

Commissioners began the meeting by recognizing Detective Stephen Charles as the Deputy of the Quarter. Charles had been conducting drug investigations over the past year, Lt. David St. Laurent told commissioners, in a bid to combat the trafficking of heroin and other drugs into the county. In addition to assisting Maine Drug Enforcement Agency’s efforts, Sheriff Scott Nichols said, Charles’ work had resulted in additional investigations in other states.

Among the higher profile cases that Charles has been involved with was the arrest of Daryl “Poochie” Searles, who was seized along with 400 pills, firearms and more than $140,000 in cash. Charles also assisted with a more recent investigation that resulted in several people from the Carthage and Rumford areas being arrested for trafficking in heroin.

Commissioners then accepted with regret the resignations of two Franklin County Sheriff’s Office deputies, Chris Chase and Nate Reid. Both deputies were ranked as corporals, Nichols said, and were resigning for personal reasons. Both corporal positions have been posted in-house, and the sheriff anticipates hiring new deputies as the vacant positions trickle down.

Additionally, Chase’s K9 dog, Abby, will be retiring. Commissioners approved transferring ownership of the dog, which has been handled by Chase since it was a puppy. As FCSO is now hosting its own K9 school, the cost to train a new animal is expected to be minimal.

The county did sign Farmington reserve patrolman Ted Neil on as a FCSO reserve officer, to provide additional shift coverage while the department fills the vacant positions.

Commissioners also approved an additional position to the Franklin County Detention Center. The assistant jail administrator position was eliminated when the jail went to a 24-hour holding facility in 2009. With the full-service jail now in operation, Nichols said, Jail Administrator Doug Blauvelt needed assistance with state-mandated paperwork associated with training, payroll, inmate services and uniform care throughout all four jail sections. FCDS maintained an average inmate population of 32 prisoners a day, Nichols said, and had significantly fewer layers of administration compared to other facilities throughout the state.

Nichols recommended promoting one of the four jail supervisors to fill the assistant administration position, then hiring a new supervisor. The assistant administrator would be set at the pay grade 5 for salary, translating into a little less than $40,000, depending on tenure.

Increases in state funding for jails, which rose to $12.5 million this year, would allow the county to fund the position and stay below the $1.6 tax cap that FCDS has operated at since 2009. While some of those state funds are earmarked for inmate programs, the largest chunk of the money may be used for jail operations.

Commissioners approved adding the position, but asked Nichols to bring a new, more specific job description to the next meeting.

The commissioners also approve the issuing of requests for proposals for the next stage of an ongoing project to improve emergency communications in Franklin County. Equipment associated with Radio Over Internet Protocols would be installed in Weld, Strong, Phillips and Wilton, connecting radio traffic in those areas to Franklin County Dispatch. The sealed bids will are due on Oct. 16 and will be opened Monday, Oct. 19 by commissioners.