An officer in the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office is the subject of an internal investigation after his wife filed an election complaint in the race for sheriff in a neighboring county and then used a fake name to tip off local media.

Kennebec County Sheriff Capt. Dennis Picard has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the results of the internal investigation, said Kennebec County Administrator Robert Devlin.

Kennebec County Sheriff Randall Liberty declined to specify the alleged activity for which Picard is being investigated.

“It’s a personnel matter,” Liberty said. “He’s on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the fact finding.”

Picard’s leave began Friday, the same day the Morning Sentinel reported reported that his wife filed a federal election complaint against Somerset County Chief Deputy Sheriff Dale Lancaster in the race for Somerset County sheriff. Sharon Picard alleged Lancaster violated the federal Hatch Act by using his office to campaign. Sharon Picard used the name Beth Downs to send notice of the complaint to Maine newspapers and television stations. She said last week in an email to a Morning Sentinel reporter that, “Beth Downs is the name I have used when commenting on news articles. Many people use pseudonyms. I used that name to express my opinions without fear of retribution.”

The U.S. Office of Special Council investigated and then rejected the complaint.

Dennis Picard acknowledged his friendship with Lancaster’s opponent in the race, Waterville Police Officer Kris McKenna.

Picard could not immediately be reached for comment.

Devlin, who said he was unsure of the specific allegations that sparked the internal investigation, said it was related to the election complaint, but that the complaint was not the sole focus of the investigation.

“That’s not the reason,” Devlin said.

Sgt. Alfred Morin of the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office of Professional Review is conducting the investigation, which could take up to 10 days.

“The findings will determine if there are any next steps,” Devlin said.

Liberty said internal investigations most often involve allegations of violations of department policy. Allegations of criminal activity are investigated by the Office of the Maine Attorney General.

Information gathered during the investigation will be turned over to Liberty and Chief Deputy Ryan Reardon, who will determine whether a reprimand is warranted.

“There’s no preconceived notions,” Liberty said. “We’re in the fact-finding phase. Upon completion we’ll make a decision.”

This story will be updated.

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