A Maine police officer accused of lying about a missing-person case was charged with several crimes, including falsifying a report in which he claimed he had taken the missing man to a hospital, police said.
Washburn Police Sgt. Chandler Cole resigned after being charged with aggravated forgery, tampering with public records or information, falsifying physical evidence, and unsworn falsification, according to court records.
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Cole said he had no comment when reached by The Associated Press.
The charges, first reported by WAGM-TV, stem from the case of a missing person who appeared to be distressed when seen walking along a road March 30.
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Cole reported that he had picked up Erik Foote and dropped him off at a convenience store, but he told Foote's parents he took him to the hospital.
An investigation concluded Cole altered his report to reflect a hospital drop-off. But there is no hospital record to support the claim.
Foote has yet to be located in a case that has riveted the community of 1,500 people, which has organized another search party to look for him this weekend.
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The Aroostook County Sheriff's Office is now handling the investigation.
The town is in the process of deciding whether to keep a police department. Washburn's police chief retired Jan. 31, Cole resigned in February and a young officer is working elsewhere, Town Manager Donna Turner said.
For now, the Sheriff's Office is providing coverage while Washburn is without police.
