(RepublicanDaily.org) – Authorities in Maine continue to search for a man reported missing in the state after the police officer who last interacted with the man was arrested for allegedly lying about where he last saw the missing person.
Court records show that Washburn Police Sergeant Chandler Cole was charged with several crimes which include falsifying physical evidence, tampering with public records or information, aggravated forgery, and unsworn falsification. Cole resigned following his arrest on March 29 and has refused to comment on the issue.
Cole’s predicament is related to the missing persons case of Erik Foote, whom Cole claimed to have dropped off at a hospital. Police have not been able to verify the claim and have found no evidence to back up Cole’s statement. Instead, CCTV footage shows the former police sergeant dropping Foote off at a convenience store. However, Cole doubled down on his claim, indicating in his police report that he dropped Foote off at a hospital.
Foote went missing in the vicinity of Washburn, a small town in the Pine Tree State that lies close to the U.S.’ border with Canada and has a population of 1,500. He was declared missing on Feb. 6 and was last spotted January 30, reportedly looking “distressed” while walking down a local road. Foote’s disappearance – along with the brouhaha with Cole – have rocked the otherwise quiet and peaceful community. Another search party was formed to comb through Washburn and its environs for Foote but nothing has been found as of press time.
Washburn is also currently looking if it can do away without having its own police department after its last chief retired in January this year, and a younger officer decided to transfer to a different police department. Should that happen, the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office will take over law enforcement in the area. In fact, the Aroostook County Sherriff’s Office is already leading the investigation into Cole and Foote’s disappearance.
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