A former Aroostook County police officer has now pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges of falsifying evidence in connection with the case of a missing man, after earlier pleading not guilty to all charges in the case.
Chandler Cole, a former sergeant with the Washburn Police Department, was arrested in March 2024 on charges related to the case of missing Washburn man Erik Foote.
The new plea deal is the latest development in the case that has gripped the small County town for more than a year.
After Washburn’s then-police chief noted inconsistencies in Cole’s reporting about his contact with Foote, an investigation resulted in the sergeant’s arrest. Foote’s family, friends and supporters carried out multiple searches, and investigators eventually located his body by the Aroostook River in Caribou in April.
Cole and his attorney, Alan Harding of Presque Isle, entered the new guilty pleas on Jan. 24, according to court records.
Cole was originally charged with aggravated forgery, tampering with public records or information, falsifying physical evidence and unsworn falsification.
He resigned from the department around the time of his arrest. Former Police Chief Cyr Martin said last year he had found discrepancies in Cole’s reports of his contact with Foote, and the department hired a private firm to investigate.
Aroostook County Sheriff’s Deputy Nathan Chisholm reviewed the case to determine whether crimes had been committed, and noted that when Foote’s father contacted Cole, Cole told him he had taken Foote to Northern Light A.R. Gould Hospital in Presque Isle, court records stated. But hospital personnel said Foote was never there.
Investigators alleged Cole’s original report stated he had taken Foote to the Freshies convenience store in Presque Isle, but that he later changed the report to state he had taken Foote to the hospital. The changes were tracked in an electronic police records system, according to court documents.
The Washburn Police Department has since dissolved after residents voted in June to close it.
Cole initially pleaded not guilty to all four charges at Presque Isle District Court in September.
His attorney, Harding, filed a court document on Jan. 24 acknowledging the state’s willingness to participate in a joint agreement. If Cole pleaded guilty to tampering with public records and unsworn falsification, the charges of aggravated forgery and falsifying physical evidence would be dismissed.
Cole pleaded guilty to those two charges, thereby waiving his right to a trial, the document stated.
Cole received one year of administrative release, a suspended sentence of 90 days in jail and fines of $500 for each charge plus $320 in surcharges, according to the sentencing agreement.
Under Maine law, people under administrative release must refrain from criminal conduct and pay all required fees.
Tampering with public records and unsworn falsification are Class D crimes in Maine, punishable by up to 364 days incarceration and a $2,000 fine.
Deputy District Attorney Kari Wells-Puckett dismissed the charges of forgery and falsifying physical evidence on Feb. 7, court records stated.
