The former Maine Capitol Police chief may avoid the most serious charges after he allegedly assaulted a Hallowell police officer who tried to break up a bar fight last year.
Under deferred disposition, Matthew Clancy must seek counseling and treatment for substance use and provide the court with proof of that by Oct. 20, according to ABC affiliate WMTW.
Clancy must then provide evidence every three months that he’s continuing that treatment, WMTW reported.
He also is prohibited from possessing or consuming alcohol.
If he abides by the terms of the deal through July 6, 2027, Clancy will face just a disorderly conduct charge and a fine up to $300. But if he fails to satisfy those conditions, he will face, in addition to disorderly conduct, charges of assault and refusing to submit to arrest, according to WMTW.
Clancy allegedly got into an altercation with other patrons at the Quarry Tap Room on Water Street in Hallowell during the early morning hours of Aug. 2. That spilled out into the street, and when a city police officer intervened, Clancy allegedly assaulted the officer.
He was placed on leave after his arrest, and then resigned two months later.
Clancy took over the Maine Capitol Police, which patrols and protects the state government in Augusta, in 2021 after its previous chief, Russell Gauvin, resigned amid an uproar over social media posts promoting falsehoods about the 2020 presidential election, expressing sympathy for a former Maine police officer who called for violence against Black Lives Matter protesters, and mocking people who wore masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Before coming to the state capital, Clancy led police departments in Plympton and Duxbury, Massachusetts, taught at Bridgewater State University and served more than a decade on the board of directors of the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission.
The Maine Capitol Police is now gradually being absorbed by the Maine State Police.