The race for Hancock County’s top law enforcement officer has intensified in recent weeks following four Democratic state legislators’ extraordinary endorsement of the Republican candidate.
Republican Corey Bagley, Ellsworth Police Department detective and former Hancock County chief deputy, and Democrat Dakota Dupuis, current sheriff’s lieutenant, shared similar visions for the future of the sheriff’s office in early October interviews with the Bangor Daily News.
Both favor community policing and mental health services, but they differ on their interpretation of their opponent’s qualifications and ability to manage Hancock County’s chief law enforcement role.
The race has seen four Democratic state legislators cross party lines — an increasingly unique move in today’s hyperpartisan political climate — to endorse Bagley, 57, who left the sheriff’s office in 2023 after 31 years of service.
Current Sheriff Scott Kane, who has endorsed Dupuis, is not seeking re-election. Dupuis, 31, has repeatedly tried to distance himself from his current boss.
“We’re two different people,” Dupuis said. “I don’t agree with every decision he’s done. I don’t want to be painted with a brush for a decision he made in 2021. How did I have any control? I disagreed with it.”
A scathing letter penned by three of the legislators — the fourth’s endorsement came later — criticized Dupuis for his affiliation with Kane, a controversial Republican accused of leading a politically motivated investigation into Rep. Nina Milliken, D-Blue Hill, one of the Democratic lawmakers now endorsing Bagley.
Dupuis adamantly disagreed with some of Kane’s decisions, including when the sheriff in 2021 temporarily barred a provider from giving addiction services to inmates at the county jail over its support of the Black Lives Matter movement. He also refuted what he described as inaccuracies in the legislators’ letter.
The letter stated the sheriff’s office budget had been mismanaged since Dupuis became lieutenant in 2024, during which time he has largely led the department’s daily operations after Kane took a step back from managerial duties.
Contrary to the lawmakers’ letter, which was published in the Ellsworth American and alleged the sheriff’s budget jumped by more than $700,000 in 2025, under Dupuis’ tenure, the budget actually increased by $430,000 between 2024 and 2025, according to documents reviewed by the BDN.
Both candidates favor community policing, saying they would encourage officers to be visible in the towns they serve by visiting schools, libraries and municipal offices.
Each candidate has also promised to add some sort of mental health liaison to their squad.
Bagley wants to replicate a version of Bar Harbor’s Good Morning program, a free initiative that offers daily wellness checks on senior residents and adults with disabilities.
Since his promotion to lieutenant, Dupuis said he’s worked to reestablish the sheriff office’s participation in the county’s drug treatment court.
“Corey and I, we’ve said a lot of the same sentiments — mental health, community programs, community engagement,” Dupuis said. “The difference is there’s one of us that is saying it and has done it, and there’s another that’s saying it because it sounds good in a campaign.”
The two candidates questioned their opponent’s viability as a county sheriff. Bagley, who has been in law enforcement for longer than Dupuis has been alive, said his opponent lacked the experience to lead Hancock County’s law enforcement division.
The sheriff’s office has seen significant turnover since his departure, Bagley said, noting roughly 14 officers have left since 2023.
“I really believe that comes down to leadership,” Bagley said. “I want to hire and retain good quality deputies, officers [and] employees, and I want to enhance our training with mental health, both for the officers and corrections staff.”
The candidates accused each other of repeating contradictory claims.
Dupuis has said leadership roles have changed dramatically since Bagley’s departure, and that the current detective’s time as lieutenant and chief deputy was more akin to a road supervisor role than an administrative manager.
“It’s a double edged sword,” Bagley said. “In one breath he’s saying I didn’t have any of those administration type roles, but in his other breath he’s blaming me for the 2022-23 budget, which I had nothing to do with.”
Although he hasn’t personally prepared a county budget, he’s been involved in budget proposals for other volunteer organizations, he said.
“[During] my time as chief deputy, I was always looking at the budget numbers,” Bagley said. “I also know how to ask people for help or guidance on that if needed— so that is not a concern.”
Outside policing, Bagley spent more than 30 years coaching youth sports and has been involved in several local charities and nonprofits, including the YMCA and veterans groups, he said.
Bagley wants to prioritize fixing what he described as fraught partnerships with various local law enforcement and first responder agencies.
“We used to have a really good relationship with all the other departments in the county, as well as fire, EMS and other organizations,” Bagley said. “I feel that that has gone downhill or diminished a lot over the last few years. I want to build that back up.”
Dupuis has been criticized for only recently joining the Democratic Party, whose local chapter has supported him despite the recent endorsements. He registered as a Democrat in 2024 after his family had difficult experiences with the country’s healthcare system, Dupuis said.
“I agree with the sentiments and beliefs of the Democratic Party — universal healthcare and things such as that,” Dupuis said. “Beyond that, look at what I did professionally. I have more of a community policing approach, which I would say aligns with a lot of Democratic views and beliefs.”
Dupuis and Bagley shared similar views on the county’s role in coordinating with federal immigration officers.
Dupuis said state law does not allow the county to cooperate with federal authorities, adding that the department was not responsible for inquiring about immigration status.
“My personal opinion, when it comes to immigration, is if someone wants to come here to better their lives or for more opportunities, have at it,” Dupuis said. “If you’re going to come and commit crimes that take away from our communities, I do believe in immigration enforcement in that sense.”
Bagley said the county’s partnership with state and federal agencies is important, but agreed that the sheriff’s office had no role in immigration enforcement.