The Machias fire chief was arrested Halloween night after allegedly responding to an emergency call while intoxicated.
Fire Chief Joseph Thompson Sr., 68, was placed on paid administrative leave Sunday following the incident, according to Town Manager Sarah Craighead-Dedmon.
Thompson was booked in Washington County Jail late Saturday evening on one charge of operating under the influence, according to a jail dispatcher. He paid $60 to be bonded out just after 3 a.m. Sunday.
Thompson, who has been a member of the town’s fire department since 2004, is also an EMT and previously served as fire chief of the Jonesboro-Roque Bluffs volunteer fire department, according to the Machias ambulance service’s Facebook page.
Thompson was promoted to fire chief in June 2025 after longtime Chief Joey Dennison resigned, according to a town Facebook post.
Thompson responded to a vehicle-pedestrian crash Halloween evening along Dublin Street in Machias, according to Washington County sheriff’s Chief Deputy Mike Crabtree.
It was not clear on Thursday why Thompson was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol after he arrived at the crash scene. Crabtree said he did not have information on that part of the investigation.
The crash Thompson was responding to, which is under investigation by Maine State Police, left a 56-year-old man with serious injuries, requiring a LifeFlight transport to Bangor. The man is now stable, according to a Machias police dispatcher.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office arrested Thompson so as not to involve town personnel, Crabtree said, adding that he assumed officers breathalyzed Thompson at the scene.
The case against Thompson is now with the Washington County district attorney’s office, Crabtree said.
The arrest and administrative leave comes days after the Machias Select Board approved three new EMT positions, ensuring the town’s ambulance station is fully staffed, according to The Maine Monitor. Demand on Machias ambulances is expected to jump after the recent shuttering of the volunteer-run ambulance service roughly 25 miles away in Dennysville.
The Machias Fire Department will be overseen by three firefighters during Thompson’s leave, which has no specified end date, according to Craighead-Dedmon, who wouldn’t comment further on the reason for Thompson’s paid leave, adding it was a “personnel matter.” The town manager confirmed that Thompson is still fire chief.
Thompson did not immediately respond to a Facebook message Thursday morning from the Bangor Daily News.