PARIS — The Select Board sent a scathing letter to Oxford County Sheriff Christopher Wainwright filled with undocumented charges and accusing him of breaking the law.

The board did not answer questions about the letter Tuesday.

Wainwright angrily denied the contents of the letter at an Oxford County Commission meeting last week.

“It was a blatant lie, accusing me of committing illegal acts,” Wainwright told commissioners.

Letter to Sheriff as Sent 051325 by Maine Trust For Local News on Scribd

A number of residents are upset that the proposed Paris Police Department budget is increasing by more than 25% to about $1.5 million. They have asked either for the budget be reduced or the town to seek alternatives for police coverage.

At least two residents asked Wainwright to attend a meeting May 14 to provide information on what coverage would look like and cost if the Sheriff’s Office provided service.

The letter, dated May 13 and prepared by town attorney Kristin Collins from the law firm Preti Flaherty of Portland, accused Wainwright of actively participating in trying to defund the Paris Police Department.

The letter to Wainwright claimed, “You have been working to steer the course of the upcoming Paris town meeting to strip the municipal police department budget down to an extent that maintaining the department would be infeasible. Moreover, you have been arguing for the county to hire Paris Police Department staff whose positions would be defunded under your effort. Your intention appears quite transparently motivated out of pure animus toward the town, as well as an intent to force the town to pay for the Sheriff’s office for police service.

“This interference with the police operations of a taxpaying member municipality is both unprecedented and in direct contradiction with the Sheriff’s statutory duties.”

In addition to accusing the sheriff of slander and saying Wainwright’s actions violate the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics, the letter also claims that his actions “constitute tortious interference with the town’s activities and will justify a call on your bond for failure to faithfully perform your duties.”

The letter concluded by telling Wainwright “to disavow your illegal activities” and demanding he cancel the May 14 informational meeting.

The Paris Select Board authorized sending the letter, signed by its attorney, following an executive session at the end of its May 12 meeting. The board emerged from the executive session and unanimously moved to accept and send the letter. The board did not publicly identify that the letter was being sent to the sheriff. Additional copies were sent to the three Oxford County commissioners and Gov. Janet Mills.

In an interview May 23, Wainwright expressed bewilderment with the contents of the letter.

“I have no idea where this is coming from, what planet they are on?” Wainwright said.

“It’s blatantly untrue,” he added. “It was libelous. It was slanderous. Somebody had to tell that attorney those lies or someone had to tell the selectmen those lies. I don’t think the governor enjoys being lied to.”

The sheriff said it was residents of Paris who came to his office and asked him to attend a meeting and present information on police coverage from the sheriff’s office. Commissioners had established a fee of $168,466 per deputy, which includes salary, benefits, a cruiser and other equipment.

Wainwright told the audience at Paris Elementary School on May 14 that he could not give a recommendation on how many deputies would be adequate for a town the size of Paris, but a minimum of four would be needed to provide basic 24/7 coverage. He repeated numerous times that he was there only to provide information.

During the May 23 interview, Wainwright said Paris Town Manager Natalie Andrews apologized to him for the letter, saying, according to the sheriff, that it was a bit extreme.

“There’s going to be consequences for that letter,” Wainwright said. “I’m not going to let this lie. I’m not going to take this sitting down.

“It’s going to be costly to the town. I’m just hoping they do the right thing and do a formal apology. Retract the letter. The commissioners heard it. They know it’s crazy.”

“I had no idea about the letter until it showed up in my mailbox,” Commission Chairman Timothy Turner of Buckfield said at last week’s commission meeting. “I contacted Administrator (Zane) Loper. We had a conversation. We pretty much came to the conclusion that there was a lot of exaggeration.”

Three residents referred to the letter during public comment at Tuesday’s Select Board meeting. The only thing Chairman Scott McElravy said was that the letter was approved by the board. No other selectman spoke.

In a direct question from resident Janet Jamison, Andrews said she had not heard any response from the commissioners or Gov. Mills.

Residents had plenty to say at last week’s county commission meeting, telling the three-person board that Wainwright did nothing wrong. Jamison said she and Troy Ripley organized Wainwright’s meeting with residents.

“We appealed multiple times at selectmen’s meetings, saying, ‘Hey, our budget for the police department is getting out of control. Can we look at other options,'” she said.

“It was us that did this,” Jamison said. “There was nothing put forward by him. And you can imagine my shock at reading the letter that came down.”

“I read the letter,” Lloyd “Skip” Herrick, former county sheriff and Paris police chief said. “I found it appalling to find that our elected officials would agree to that letter in any shape or form. I’m disappointed in what I read in that letter, but the sheriff did nothing wrong. He handled everything professionally. I applaud him for stepping up.”

Town Manager Andrews said she has not received any direction from the board on how the town will follow up.

“Assertions coming to our officers that the county is taking over Paris PD has had an impact that jeopardizes the well-being of our officers,” Andrews said. “The town’s attorney sent a letter requesting this to stop while we move forward gathering information so the voters can determine the best course of action for the town.”