DAMARISCOTTA – The arrests of a longtime selectman and his wife on drug charges have left residents of this small midcoast town angry and embarrassed.

Scott Gove, an eight-year selectman who served as chairman last year, resigned his post May 28, four days after he and wife, Christine Gove, were arrested on charges of illegal importation and possession of drugs. They face up to five years in prison if convicted.

Selectman Richard McLean said he had no idea his colleague would be accused of drug trafficking. The arrest, he said, is on everyone’s mind.

“I can’t even go to the post office or downtown for a cup of coffee without someone stopping me and asking me, ‘What do you think about this?”‘ McLean said.

Gove, 42, and his wife were arrested after a three-year investigation, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department. When police executed a search warrant on their Abby Lane home, they allegedly found two grams of cocaine, scales, drug paraphernalia and ledgers pertaining to drug sales.

Investigators did not return phone calls to the media, and District Attorney Geoffrey Rushlau impounded the search warrant and refused to discuss details of the case to “avoid premature disclosure of our investigative leads.”

But that’s not keeping townspeople from talking.

Edwin M. Stelzer, who is one of four candidates running for two seats on the Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, said his initial reaction to Gove’s arrest was that he was innocent until proven guilty.

“But then I realized, I was really angry about what happened,” he said.

Gove could not be reached for comment at his home or business, Maine Modular and Manufactured Homes in Waldoboro. His attorney said that neither he nor his client would have a comment before Gove’s initial court appearance in July.

In his resignation letter, Gove wrote that the facts would “come to light” in court, “but at this point I must conclude that the charges, combined with rumors and speculation which will predictably accompany them, will make my presence at meetings a distraction and make it impossible for me to effectively do my job.”

In the meantime, Gove on Monday was still listed as a selectman on the town’s Web site. There, a photograph shows Gove and three other board members smiling for the camera.