PARIS — Oxford County Administrator Scott Cole said Monday that the county had been investigating Oxford County Sheriff Wayne Gallant last week when he admitted sexting a woman several years ago and was accused of soliciting at least two of his employees for sex.
County officials “were made aware of certain pieces of information in early November, and based on that, they felt they should open an investigation,” Cole said.
He added that he had no comment on who passed along the information to the county officials, or whether the District Attorney’s Office or the Attorney General’s Office was involved in the investigation.
“What I can say is that the investigator, or investigators, are working for Oxford County,” Cole said.
An official of the union that represents 23 sworn officers of the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office told the Portland Press Herald last Wednesday that Gallant made unwanted solicitations for sex to at least two of his employees.
The allegations came a day after Gallant admitted to a TV news program that he sent a sexually explicit photograph several years ago to a woman. He declined to identify the woman.
The only way to remove a sheriff from office is for the county commissioners to file a complaint with the governor that details how the sheriff is not faithfully or efficiently performing his or her duties.
Cole said Monday that Oxford County commissioners have no plans to meet to discuss whether or not to file a complaint against Gallant with the Governor’s Office.
Gallant has not returned either phone or email requests for comment.
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