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Maine Capitol Police Chief Matthew Clancy allegedly assaulted a Hallowell police officer who arrested him overnight Friday.
Clancy, a former Massachusetts police chief who has led the agency protecting the State House since 2021, was arrested on Water Street in Hallowell around midnight, Chris Giles, the city’s police chief, said. Clancy is charged with assault, refusing to submit to arrest and disorderly conduct, which are all misdemeanor offenses under Maine law.
Giles declined to give more details on the arrest, saying his officer’s report was not finished. But Clancy was charged with assaulting the city policeman, he said. The case will be handled by a prosecutor outside of Kennebec County, which is standard procedure when police are arrested in their agency’s home area.
Neither Clancy nor Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss immediately responded to Monday morning requests for comment. Clancy is on administrative leave from his state job, Giles said.
Clancy had 35 years of police experience, including nearly 20 as a chief in Massachusetts, when he got his job nearly four years ago. He brought stability to the agency following the retirement of Chief Russell Gauvin, who was on leave for months over social media posts promoting falsehoods about masks and the 2020 presidential election.
Water Street in Hallowell is the most popular nightlife spot in the capital area. The small city’s downtown, which has several bars and restaurants, is only about a mile and a half from the State House in Augusta.
