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A pending decision from the Maine secretary of state’s office may alter the course of the York County sheriff’s race, with a Lyman man’s bid for a spot on the ballot under fire from another candidate and the chair of the county Republican Party.

David Corbett, a former law enforcement and corrections officer, has been accused of misrepresenting himself and his past experience when he submitted a petition to be the Republican candidate for sheriff.

He spent hours defending his nomination during a Friday hearing in Augusta that in many ways resembled a courtroom trial, featuring intense and lengthy discussions, documentary evidence, and witness testimony both challenging and supporting Corbett’s candidacy.

The hearing was also absurd at times and dragged on for several hours as Corbett and his challengers addressed allegations that the Republican was colluding to help incumbent Democratic Sheriff William King win reelection. Corbett denies those allegations and contends that the challenges to his candidacy are politically motivated.

Brian Pellerin, who is seeking the York County sheriff’s job as an independent, and Heidi Sampson, chair of the county Republican Party, are challenging Corbett’s nomination on two grounds: a lack of required supervisory experience and allegations that he inaccurately filled out a form filed with the secretary of state’s office.

King, the incumbent sheriff, was not available for comment Monday.

DEFINING ‘SUPERVISORY’

Under Maine law, candidates for sheriff must have at least two years of supervisory employment experience in law enforcement. But they are exempt from that requirement if they meet one of two qualifications: if they have served as a sheriff, or if they served as a full-time law enforcement officer before July 1990.

Corbett has never worked as sheriff, but he previously worked for several police agencies, including the Biddeford and Saco police departments and the York County Sheriff’s Office. He said during an interview Monday that while he was never given a formal rank as supervisor, some of his work as an officer should still count as supervisory experience. He argued that same viewpoint throughout Friday’s hearing.

But Pellerin, who serves as chief deputy at the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, said he was concerned Corbett didn’t meet the qualifications because he never served in a permanent supervisor’s role.

During the hearing, Corbett tried to string together several examples of what he thinks should count as supervisory experience in law enforcement.

He asked former colleagues to recall times when he stepped up as a leader, including during his time as a York County corrections officer and as union president when he was a police officer in the 1970s.

But he also recounted other, more obscure situations of what he cast as supervision from his time as an officer — such as overseeing the Saco bike rodeo and taking a fatally injured cat to an incinerator.

ALLEGATIONS OF MISREPRESENTATION

Pellerin said the secretary of state’s office notified him minutes before Friday’s hearing that the language the office provided to Corbett on his nomination form was outdated.

While Corbett allegedly selected an exemption saying he had served as sheriff, the form was missing the second exemption for police service prior to 1990.

But Pellerin said he chose to challenge Corbett’s candidacy anyway because the Republican still submitted an inaccurate form.

“My feeling was that he had sworn to a notary that he had served under that exception as written on the affidavit, and that could potentially be a false swearing,” Pellerin said.

Sampson said in a text message Monday that she challenged his nomination on the same basis, describing what he put on the form as “categorically false and a class D crime.”

It’s unclear whether that potential misrepresentation could cost Corbett a spot on the ballot.

Pellerin said he’s not sure if his argument against Corbett’s candidacy will stand up.

A spokesperson for the secretary of state’s office declined to comment while it makes its decision, which is due by April 3.

‘A LITTLE BIT OF A CIRCUS’

Pellerin on Monday recalled the hearing as “a little bit of a circus” and said Corbett’s decision to run seems suspicious.

During the hearing, Sampson, the county Republican chair and a former state representative, also questioned Corbett’s intentions for running. She said he splits his time between Maine and Florida and has not served in law enforcement for nearly 30 years.

“I would argue that Mr. Corbett appears to function as a paper candidate, one who is not viable and whose presence risks misleading voters. The circumstances taken together do not align with a serious, qualified, full-time candidate,” Sampson said.

Corbett said he has been traveling because he’s retired, but that would change if he was elected sheriff. He said he wanted to run because there were no other Republican candidates lined up.

The hearing devolved into a heated argument as Corbett cross-examined Sampson. In raised voices, he accused her of not supporting his nomination and interfering with his attempts to gather signatures to qualify for the ballot, while she denied those allegations and insisted that he wasn’t a qualified candidate.

“Am I a liar?” Corbett asked her twice.

“You are misrepresenting yourself,” Sampson replied both times.