Former chief deputy and current Ellsworth detective Corey Bagley is poised to be Hancock County’s next sheriff after rival Lt. Dakota Dupuis conceded Wednesday morning.
As of 9 a.m., Republican nominee Bagley had a roughly 3,000-vote lead on Dupuis, a Democrat, in the divisive election for Hancock County’s top law enforcement officer, according to unofficial results compiled by the Bangor Daily News.
Bagley had 13,884 votes and Dupuis had 10,965 votes with 30 of 37 municipalities having reported unofficial results.
Dupuis conceded Wednesday morning on Facebook, noting that he had congratulated Bagley on his win.
The race for sheriff turned bitter in its final weeks after outgoing sheriff Scott Kane, a Republican who endorsed Dupuis, accused Bagley of steering a county contract to his father, Rudy Bagley, during his time at the sheriff’s department. Kane did not seek re-election.
Bagley has denied involvement in the contract, claiming it was agreed upon between his father and County Commissioner William Clark, who was sheriff at the time. Clark has endorsed Bagley, who served the sheriff’s office for 31 years prior to his departure in 2023.
Four Democratic state legislators crossed party lines to endorse Bagley in the campaign’s final months. County commissioners were split on their support for the candidates.
If elected sheriff, Bagley, 57, and Dupuis, 31, both said they would prioritize community policing and mental health services. Bagley hopes to replicate Bar Harbor’s Good Morning program, a free service that offers daily check-ins on senior residents and adults with disabilities.
Bagley said he wants to mend what he described as the sheriff’s office’s fraught relationships with local law enforcement and first responder agencies.
Outside of his law enforcement career, Bagley spent more than three decades coaching youth sports in Ellsworth and has been involved in various local charities and nonprofits.