WATERVILLE — The results of a police investigation into allegations against Waterville Senior High School Principal Don Reiter are expected to be forwarded to the district attorney’s office in the next several days, and the school superintendent said he thinks the school district’s investigation will be done by the end of the week.

“We are getting very close to finishing our investigation,” Police Chief Joseph Massey said Tuesday. “As a matter of fact, I anticipate our lead detective, Dave Caron, will forward his report on to the district attorney’s office later this week or early next week so they can review it, sit with the detective and make decisions regarding the case.”

Kennebec County District Attorney Maeghan Maloney said Tuesday that when she receives such a police report, she reviews it and decides whether charges should be brought against a person.

Reiter was placed on paid administrative leave three weeks ago, but police and school officials will not say why. Reiter’s attorney, Gregg Frame of Portland, indicated it has to do with allegations involving another person.

School Superintendent Eric Haley said Tuesday that he expects to make a recommendation soon to the Waterville Board of Education. Haley is superintendent of Alternative Organizational Structure 92, which includes Waterville, Winslow and Vassalboro schools.

“I’m thinking by the end of this week we certainly will have concluded our investigation,” he said.

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Asked whether he knows what the outcome will be, he said, “I have a sense, but I’m not at liberty to say at this point.”

Frame and Reiter met Tuesday with Haley, Assistant Superintendent Peter Thiboutot and the school’s attorney, Melissa Hewey, to follow up on questions school officials had for Reiter at a Sept. 8 meeting.

Frame said, as he did after the Sept. 8 meeting, that there was nothing in Tuesday’s meeting that gave him pause about Reiter’s position in the schools. He said Reiter answered the questions truthfully and candidly.

“I fully expect he’ll be back in school shortly,” he said.

Frame was equally confident that the police investigation would result in no charges.

“I think the police have to conduct their investigation,” he said. “My sense is that there’ll be nothing further from this.”

Haley and Thiboutot are conducting an internal school investigation separate from the police investigation.

Haley placed Reiter on paid administrative leave Sept. 1 and reported the case to police Sept. 2.

 

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