State clears Auburn mayor in impaired-driving arrest

AUBURN – There is insufficient evidence to prosecute Mayor Normand Guay for drunken driving, the state Attorney General’s Office said Friday.

Guay, who was arrested Aug. 4, said he had no doubt that he would be vindicated.

“I have great faith and confidence in our criminal justice system,” the mayor said. “I knew that I was not under the influence, and I was confident that Maine’s highest law-enforcement agency, the attorney general’s office, would also conclude that I had done nothing wrong.”

Detective Chad Syphers, the president of the local police union, said department brass have asked him not to comment on the case.

After arresting Guay, Auburn police determined that his blood alcohol level was 0.01 – eight times below the legal limit. The mayor was issued a summons, even though he was not legally drunk.

The arrest came at a time when the city is embroiled in contract talks with police officers, but Guay said he had no reason to believe his arrest was politically motivated.

The City Council hired a Portland law firm to review the events that led up to Guay’s arrest. That investigation, which is still under way, began with a review of police records by Jay McCloskey, a former U.S. attorney.

A police report that surfaced last week quoted the arresting officers as saying Guay weaved, stumbled and twice nearly fell down during a field sobriety test.

Officers stated that Guay appeared impaired when he arrived at the City Building after leaving Gipper’s Sports Grill in Auburn and that he was seen driving erratically.