Sheriff honored for his sacrifice

DOVER-FOXCROFT – Stabbed in the arm six years ago by an escaped prisoner he had cornered, Piscataquis County Sheriff John Goggin was recognized Thursday for his personal sacrifice.

Goggin was presented a citation and the National Distinguished Service Award for Police Officers who have been wounded in the line of duty.

It was presented to Goggin by Neal A. Williams, national service officer for the Military Order of the Purple Heart of the United States, and John Moore, past state commander of the same order.

Goggin is the first officer in Piscataquis County to receive the award, Williams said.

Goggin and Chief Deputy Dale Clukey had been escorting Michael Chasse, 24, to his trial on burglary charges on Nov. 6, 1998, when Chasse threw laundry detergent into their eyes and fled. Chasse ran through a construction site, briefly held a woman hostage in her home, then left with a butcher knife.

When Goggin and Clukey confronted Chasse in downtown Dover-Foxcroft, he stabbed Goggin in the arm and Clukey in the hand. Chasse then commandeered a pickup truck and fled. He was arrested five hours later in a canoe on Sebec Lake.

The recognition was a surprise to Goggin. He entered the courtroom at the Piscataquis County Courthouse on Thursday morning and saw his deputies standing at attention, a bank of television cameras, and family and friends who had gathered for the event.

“I never expected anything like this,” he said as he accepted the awards. Goggin said he would accept them on behalf of all of the officers who were involved in the search and apprehension of Chasse.

Chasse was lucky that he and Clukey were unarmed at the time of his escape, Goggin said.

Knowing Chasse’s background, the officers had deliberately left their guns behind to keep weapons away from him.

“He didn’t disappoint us, and we kind of paid the price of that,” Goggin said during the ceremony. He said he was thankful that no one was severely hurt, although Chasse put fear into local residents. “It was just a horror show that took place over a six-hour period,” he said.

Goggin said he felt responsible for the series of events that unfolded that day and has lived with it over the years. He was surprised to find that people did not blame him and, instead, supported him.

“I feel very proud my peers felt strong enough to recognize what happened six years ago,” Goggin said.

His wife, Bonnie, said she was “very proud” of her husband.