The chief of the Maine Capitol Police has been placed on administrative leave following his arrest late Friday night, the Maine Department of Public Safety confirmed Wednesday after days of silence on the matter.
And a report obtained this week shows Friday night’s scuffle in Hallowell, in which Matthew Clancy is accused of assaulting a police officer, was not the first time police have encountered him appearing to be intoxicated while in public.
Shannon Moss, a spokesperson for the Department of Public Safety, said in an email Wednesday that the department is aware of Clancy’s arrest and the recent allegations against him.
Clancy was placed on paid administrative leave Saturday, Moss said.
“Lt. Steve Trahan will be the officer-in-charge of the bureau during this time,” Moss said. “No further details will be released as we conduct a thorough review.”
The Capitol Police is a bureau of the Department of Public Safety, tasked with policing the State House and other state buildings in Augusta. In addition to the chief, the bureau lists 11 officers and support staff.
Moss responded to questions Wednesday about Clancy’s status after multiple inquiries sent to her Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The Morning Sentinel also inquired directly with Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck on Tuesday and did not receive a response.
It was not clear why officials waited until Wednesday to confirm Clancy was placed on leave.
Clancy also has been unable to be reached. A personal phone listed in an online database was disconnected when dialed this week, and he did not reply to emails sent to his state of Maine address.
Clancy, 62, of Sidney, was arrested on misdemeanor-level charges of assault, refusing to submit to arrest and disorderly conduct, Hallowell police Chief Christopher Giles said Monday. He posted $500 bail early Saturday morning, a few hours after the arrest, according to Giles.
Hallowell police responded to the downtown area on Water Street shortly before midnight Friday and found Clancy under the influence of alcohol and creating a disturbance, Giles said.
The officer whom Clancy allegedly assaulted during the tussle did not suffer serious injuries and declined medical attention, Giles said.
Maeghan Maloney, district attorney for Kennebec and Somerset counties, said Tuesday that the office of Natasha Irving, district attorney for Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc and Waldo counties, will be reviewing the case and will handle any prosecution.
Maloney cited her professional working relationship with Clancy as the reason her office could not handle the case, according to Giles.
Irving did not reply to an email Tuesday asking in which of her four counties the case would be filed if her office decides to pursue the charges.
In 2023, police in Waterville saw Clancy get behind the wheel of his truck while appearing to be intoxicated, according to a Waterville Police Department report released to the Morning Sentinel under Maine’s Freedom of Access Act.
In the report, dated July 8, 2023, a Waterville police officer wrote that he saw a man “unsteady on his feet” get into his parked truck at The Concourse parking lot downtown around 2:30 a.m.
The officer, Samuel Violette, then approached the vehicle, the report says.
“As I spoke with Matthew, I saw that his eyes were glassy, bloodshot, and I could smell the odor of intoxicating beverages coming from his face,” the report says. “Matthew was slurring his speech while he talked. When Matthew stepped out of the truck, he almost fell over while leaning against a nearby vehicle.”
Clancy then told the officer he worked for the Capitol Police, and called his dispatch center for someone to pick him up, according to the report. A Capitol Police officer arrived about 15 minutes later to drive Clancy away, and the Waterville officer cleared the scene.
That incident was reported first this week by The Maine Wire, an online news outlet backed by the Maine Policy Institute, which describes itself as a “nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to expand individual liberty and economic freedom in Maine.”
Clancy has been chief of the Capitol Police since 2021. Before that, he was a police officer for 39 years in Massachusetts, including 20 years as a chief in two municipalities, the agency’s website says.
Clancy holds a master’s degree in criminal justice from Boston University and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia.
“I am dedicated to the advancement of professional and accountable policing,” Clancy said in a prepared statement when he was appointed in 2021. “Accountability, transparency, organizational integrity and community engagement are at the core of my policing philosophy. I look forward to this new challenge and working for and with the citizens of Maine.”
Clancy earned about $107,000 in regular wages in 2024, according to state payroll records available online. He also earned just more than $3,000 in overtime pay and collected about $24,000 in insurance and retirement benefits.
This story will be updated.
