MACHIAS, Maine — Washington County Sheriff Donnie Smith will make his case Thursday for firing a Washington County Jail corrections officer who Smith claims falsified a report that he was assaulted on Oct. 29 outside the county jail.
Smith will meet behind closed doors with the Washington County commissioners during their regular monthly meeting on Dec.13. He will ask the commissioners to terminate the employment of Sgt. Troy Lyons, 39, of Lubec after 12 years on the job.
Smith claims that an in-house investigation determined the assault was a hoax and that the injuries for which Lyons was treated at Down East Community Hospital in Machias were self-inflicted. Lyons denies those allegations.
In his version of how he came to be injured, Lyons said he was outside the jail around 10:30 p.m, talking on a cellphone, when he saw a shadow moving along a fenceline on the jail’s perimeter. When he went to investigate, he said, he was struck and fell to the ground. Lyons said he recalls hearing a vehicle speed off immediately after he went down.
Lyons said his injuries included cuts on his face and injuries to his chest, one shoulder and a knee.
Smith asked Lyons to agree to a polygraph examination “so we could clear him of this issue,” but Lyons declined on the advice of the labor union that represents the county’s corrections officers. Lyons told the Bangor Daily News he will be represented by union officials at his termination hearing.
Asked to specify how the in-house investigators came to the conclusion that Lyons is lying, Smith declined comment, saying it was a matter he couldn’t discuss before his session Thursday with the county commissioners. The area where Lyons claims he was assaulted is not under video surveillance, Smith said.
Also refusing comment is Machias Police Chief Grady Dwelley. His department has been tasked with deciding if any criminal charges should be filed against Lyons should it be determined that he falsified an assault report.
Lyons has been on suspension with pay during the ongoing investigation.
A call to Lyons on Monday morning for comment on the situation was not immediately returned.
Kinda hard to prove he was lying. If he was he should be charged to the fullest extent of the law.
True. But since the sheriff wants to try this in the publics eye before he does it with his boss’s (the commissioners), just wondering why? Not very professional. Seems the sheriff likes to be in the papers whenever he can.
Cops/guards never lie.
Sworn to uphold the truth and nothing but the truth.
Unless it is inconvenient or self incriminating.
personnel issue, strange he would be talking about this before he brings it before the commissioners.
I agree, and why does this officer have to prove his innocence when the rest of us must be proven guilty? We will see how this one turns out. I have my doubts about Donnie Smith!
Smith is a true Patriot, a good man
Whenever I hear people someone is a true Patriot, I start to wonder..
Patriot: the person who can holler the loudest without
knowing what he is hollering about.
Mark Twain
“Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.” Samuel Johnson 1775
Geeez with “big brother” cameras everywhere one would think that outside of a “jail” would be a perfect spot for one, or two would it not?
This was conveniently off the cameras. Which is why you have to question it.
Sgt. Lyons was doing an outside secuirty check, the area where the attack took place is part of the area to be checked. It was not his fault that the county, sheriff, etc. refuse to give addequit camera coverage of the jail and it’s perimeter.
There have been blind spots in and around the jail for years. This Sheriff and the ones previous knew about it, the Commisioners know about it yet choose to to nothing about it. They would rather spend hundreds of thousands of dollars buying property and renovating it for the DA’s office. The jail is one of the last places that they wish to spend money. Been that way through several administrations.
It is in my opinion, that one is innocent, that one must be proven guilty, that the lie detector test are not proven, and can be faulty to some individuals, that the guards only action must be to refuse a test, and in that, I see no reason to what-so-ever for any action, other than to be re-assigned and go back to work. I would think that the Sheriff is at fault for public comments of the case, which, is against Federal Law concerning employees.
I do not know either man but after reading other articles on this I came away with this: Smith knew something was coming over the fence – perhaps drugs. The area had no cameras – what better place for them to come over. Lyons happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. If all attention is put onto Lyons then the no one is looking at Smith.
Why would Smith, the Sheriff, want drugs coming over the fence?
Exactly! some people should have to take an IQ test to post comments on here.
I would certainly hope that if sheriff Smith does not have proof and has ruined Lyons reputation by this allegation, he losses his job. Seems unprofessional to talk to the media and accuse Lyons of this, BEFORE an investigation.
The investigation has happened already.
This story and this sheriff’s accusations were in the paper BEFORE the investigation. And now he better have solid hard evidence or he should lose his job.
Some here miss the point. Give the sheriff credit for outing a dishonest cop,and rejecting the status quo.
The so called “dishonest cop” has not been charged and the accusations have not been proven. We will give kudos when and if they should be given.
I got it! Have the retired drug sniffing dog sniff the guards shoes, if the right paw go up, he is guilty, if the left paw goes up he is innocent.
This happened during the night of Hurricane Sandy. WHO would be waiting to jump a guard (or drop some drugs, as some had thought) during that kind of weather? Drugs would get wet and/or blow away. Who would be talking on a cell phone during a rain storm, for fear of it getting wet?! And who would hear a “vehicle speeding off” in the high winds that occured that night?? I’d like to know where his cell phone was found after this “attack” and what kind of condition it was in.