The longtime police chief in Machias has been fired, according to a town official.
Grady Dwelley, who was hired as the Machias police chief in 2003, was let go Friday, Machias Town Manager Christine Therrien said Monday morning.
Therrien declined to provide a reason for the dismissal or other details, saying the decision was a confidential personnel matter.
Attempts Monday to contact Dwelley were unsuccessful.
Dwelley said he would not comment “on the termination,” but that he has consulted an attorney, according to the Machias Valley News Observer, a weekly newspaper.
Dwelley, 70, is a native of Baileyville who worked as a detective for the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office and then as a police officer and hospital emergency room administrator in Texas before returning to Washington County for the Machias job.
