Deputy demands public hearing Man accused of tossing campaign signs

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MACHIAS – A Washington County Sheriff’s Department officer, who was suspended without pay for an incident in June, will face the Washington County commissioners on Thursday and he wants his hearing open to the public.

Jeff Bishop of Cherryfield, a 12-year employee of the department, will be accompanied to the 1 p.m. meeting by union representatives and his attorney, Donald Brown of Brewer.

The commissioners will be asking questions of Bishop, who is accused of having tossed the campaign sign of a political opponent into the Narraguagus River on June 22.

The commissioners already have met once to consider taking action on the Bishop matter, but decided at their regular monthly meeting on July 6 to continue Bishop’s suspension without pay.

Bishop will ask questions in return because he feels the decisions made so far in his case have been “politically motivated,” according to Brown.

The agenda item involving Bishop will be open to the public because it’s Bishop’s right to request that, should the commissioners move to go into executive session.

Bishop has asked Brown to handle all reporters’ questions connected with this case.

Bishop, 38, was one of three Republican candidates in the June 13 primary election for Washington County sheriff. Both he and Richard Price of Jonesboro were out-polled by Rodney Merritt of East Machias.

Merritt is an officer and 17-year employee in the Sheriff’s Department – and now, the complainant against Bishop for two criminal charges that the state filed on July 20.

Bishop has been summoned to appear in Machias District Court on Aug. 7, on a Class D charge of criminal mischief and a Class E charge of theft.

He had been seen on the bridge in Cherryfield with political signs in the water below on the night of June 22, one day short of the deadline for political signs to be removed from public ways. The primary election was on June 13.

Several of the small signs in the water belonged to himself. A bigger one – worth $125 – belonged to Merritt. Maine State Police Trooper Alden Bustard ticketed Bishop for the apparent violation, which Bishop later said occurred in an “impulsive and foolish” moment of anger.

Once home, Bishop immediately contacted Merritt, with whom he had made an agreement to pick up each other’s signs in the days after the primary. Merritt had picked up about 70 of Bishop’s signs to the handful of Merritt’s signs that remained in the back of Bishop’s pickup truck.

By morning, Bishop was informed by Chief Deputy Sydney Hughes that he was being fired immediately for the offense, and that a letter to that effect would be hand-delivered shortly.

When the letter arrived a day later, the terms had changed. Bishop instead was being suspended without pay, pending the review and decision of the county commissioners.

The case will be handled by Michael Povich, the district attorney who had warned during the election that anyone found tampering with political signs would be prosecuted.

On Tuesday, Povich declined to talk about the case, other than to say that Bishop will be charged additionally with the civil violation of tampering with political signs. That carries a $250 fine.

Brown said that if the charges aren’t dropped, Bishop’s case will proceed with a jury trial.

Asked last week about Bishop’s status, Sheriff Joseph Tibbetts said that the commissioners would be reviewing the matter on Aug. 3.

He also said that he would not discuss any other department matters “that involve internal investigations” because lawyers may be involved.

Bishop filed a grievance against the sheriff with the officers’ union in June. Tibbetts did not respond within a 10-day deadline.

Tibbetts could not be reached for comment on Tuesday afternoon.

Bishop’s attorney contends that Tibbetts’ decision to suspend Bishop without pay – backed up by the commissioners – is inconsistent with treatment that other law enforcement officers in Washington County have received in recent years.

Brown plans to point out examples, including:

. A deputy still with the Sheriff’s Department, who allegedly removed four tires from a police cruiser and placed them on a personal vehicle last winter, was scolded and told to put the tires back.

. A sheriff’s deputy who was investigated for allegations of sexual misconduct while on duty in 2004 was suspended with pay for four months before he was given the chance to resign. By resigning, the deputy was able to keep his law officer certification.

. A game warden who was caught on tape taking up a political sign belonging to the opponent of Michael Povich, the district attorney, received an internal one-day suspension in 2002.

“I think these are fair questions,” Brown said on Tuesday.

“The type of punishment for others has been selective. No criminal charges were filed by the district attorney four years ago, when some of his own signs were stolen. When will the elected officials in Washington County be held accountable?

“Who makes these decisions, and what’s the basis for them? Why the disparity?” Brown said.

The sheriff, who will have served eight years in December, has publicly declared his support for Merritt for sheriff. Merritt’s opponents are independent Donnie Smith of Lubec, a sergeant in the Sheriff’s Department, and Democrat George Bunker of Baileyville, a private investigator and former sheriff’s deputy.

Bishop’s session with the commissioners takes place at 1 p.m. Thursday in their meeting room at the courthouse.

The meeting has not yet been posted publicly.

The announcement as of Tuesday indicated only that the commissioners will meet for their regular monthly meeting at 3 p.m.