SOUTH PARIS — Oxford County Sheriff Wayne Gallant declined to speak Friday about accusations that he solicited sex from two employees and that he sent sexually explicit photos of himself to a deputy’s girlfriend.
Reached late Friday afternoon, Gallant said that his attorney will be available to field questions about the matter next week. The sheriff did not say who is representing him.
A television news station in Portland reported Tuesday that it had obtained a photo showing Gallant, in uniform, in a sexually explicit pose. The sheriff admitted to WGME-TV that he had taken the photo himself and sent it to a woman he did not identify.
Although Gallant immediately stepped down as president of the Maine Sheriffs’ Association, there was no word on whether he would resign from the sheriff’s position.
On Friday, Gallant said only that his lawyer will be handling questions about the matter.
“Other than that,” the sheriff said, “I have no comments.”
On Wednesday, an official of the union that represents 23 sworn officers of the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office told the Portland Press Herald that Gallant made unwanted solicitations for sex to at least two of his employees.
Ray Cote, business agent for Teamsters Local 340, said he received the reports directly from the employees, whom he declined to name. In one instance, Gallant sent multiple sexually explicit photographs of himself to a male deputy’s girlfriend and requested that Gallant, the deputy and the woman have sex, Cote said. When the employee rebuffed the advances, Gallant threatened his job, Cote said.
In another instance, Gallant typed a message on a cellphone saying he wanted to perform oral sex on a male employee, and then showed the person what he typed, Cote said.
Copies of four of the images sent to the deputy’s girlfriend, which were obtained by the Press Herald, show Gallant displaying his genitalia. His face is visible in three of the images, including one in which Gallant is in uniform.
Cote said Gallant’s misconduct should disqualify him from his job and that he should be removed from office.
He told WCSH-TV on Friday that he believes that Chief Deputy Hart Daley was aware of the situation and did nothing, and should be removed as well. In an email to WCSH, Daley said, in part, “I can state that I was completely unaware of these alleged allegations and other issues until they were made public.”
Gallant, a divorced father of three grown sons, is in his third four-year term as sheriff. He was first elected in 2006.
According to Oxford County’s attorney, Bryan Dench, a move to oust Gallant would have to be made by the governor. County commissioners have not yet said whether they will file a complaint with the governor’s office to begin that process.
Efforts to reach the office of Gov. Paul LePage for comment Friday evening were unsuccessful.
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