Statement from fired Bar Harbor Police Chief Nate Young

Late in the afternoon on Wednesday, Jan. 23, Nate Young was terminated by Bar Harbor Town Manager Dana Reed as chief of the Bar Harbor Police Department. The following is a statement issued by Young through, his attorney Gregg Frame of Portland, approximately 24 hours later.

OFFICIAL STATEMENT OF NATHAN YOUNG

“I am obviously extremely disappointed by the Town Manager’s decision to terminate my employment, and I intend to request a hearing before the Town Council so that they may hear a more balanced view of the facts of this case. While the decision is not surprising, given that the Town Manager has consistently sought to sully my name and utilize his power and position to remove me from this position, the method by which I was informed speaks volumes, as a reporter from a local newspaper informed me of Dana Reed’s decision before I or my attorney had received anything from the Town or its attorney on the termination. It was later in the day that we were emailed a copy of the Town Manager’s decision (one that had already been released to others), a decision that is based on an Investigator’s Report that is rife with inconsistencies and inaccuracies and gross suppositions and assumptions.

As trained law enforcement personnel, I was taught not to rely on these things, and to seek the truth. In this instance, the Town Manager has relied on these inconsistencies, inaccuracies, suppositions, and assumptions to railroad a 29 year career with Town of Bar Harbor, including 23 as the Chief of Police, during which I have earned the praise and respect of those I have worked with (both at the Department and beyond) and those who have been my adversaries in the criminal justice process.

I truly appreciate all of the support I have received from the community during this trying time. The people of the Town of Bar Harbor deserve to know exactly what happened, and how this decision was reached, and I feel strongly that the people that I have served and protected for 29 years will not support the Town Manager’s decision. I am confident that when the cloak of secrecy and back room maneuverings is lifted and the Town Council is presented with the full facts, I will be back at work as Chief of the Bar Harbor Police Department.”

Bill Trotter

About Bill Trotter

A news reporter in coastal Maine for more than 20 years, Bill Trotter writes about how the Atlantic Ocean and the state's iconic coastline help to shape the lives of coastal Maine residents and visitors. He writes about fisheries, marine-related topics, eastern coastal Maine communities and more for the BDN. He lives in Ellsworth. Follow him on Twitter at @billtrotter.