GROTON, Conn. — A grand jury in York County, Maine, has indicted former Groton Police Chief Michael Crowley on two felony burglary charges and misdemeanor charges of stalking, criminal trespass and harassment.

Crowley served as Groton police chief from 2011 until retiring on Feb. 3, 2014. Shortly before that, on Jan. 24, Town Manager Mark Oefinger had placed Crowley on administrative leave for undisclosed reasons.

Crowley, 56, of 43 Willow St., Mystic, faces two felony counts of burglary, three counts of misdemeanor stalking and one count each of criminal trespass and telephone harassment, according to the district attorney’s office in Maine.

“I’ve got nothing to say,” Crowley said when reached by phone Monday.

A copy of the indictment, which was handed up on May 6, was not immediately available.

According to court records in Maine, Crowley was initially arrested by the Maine State Police on Feb. 20 and transported to the York County Jail. He was released on Feb. 24 on $2,500 cash bail, according to jail records.

Advertisement

Oefinger said Monday that the charges in the indictment refer to acts alleged to have occurred this year and are not the reasons he placed Crowley on administrative leave when he was chief. Oefinger said it would be inappropriate to comment on the reasons he placed Crowley on leave.

A native of Worcester, Massachusetts, Crowley started his career as a police officer in Hartford and joined the Groton Police Department in 1984, rising through the ranks before being promoted to deputy chief in 2005.

During the course of his career, he served on the statewide narcotics task force, was a member of the dive team and the bike patrol and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy.

On Dec. 10, 2013, Crowley was granted a family medical leave and was out of work for about a month. A day before Oefinger placed Crowley on administrative leave on Jan. 24, 2014, emergency medical personnel were called to his home. He had not returned to work before the announcement of his retirement.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.