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A Republican candidate for York County sheriff will remain on the ballot, the Maine secretary of state’s office decided Friday, after another candidate and the county Republican chair accused him of misrepresenting his eligibility.

David Corbett, of Lyman, is one of three candidates vying for the sheriff’s job, which has been held by Democrat William “Bill” King since 2014. King has filed to run for reelection, while Brian Pellerin, chief deputy for the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, has announced he is running as an independent.

Pellerin and the chair of the county’s Republican Party, Heidi Sampson, had both accused Corbett of misrepresenting himself and his past experience when he submitted a petition to be the Republican candidate for sheriff.

“I’m just thankful that it’s behind us,” Corbett said in a phone call after the decision was announced Friday. “I hope we can unite our party and move forward and move on to victory in November.”

Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, the state’s top elections official, determined Corbett met the supervisory requirements to run for the position, according to a written statement released Friday afternoon.

“Based on the proceedings and the evidence before me, I agree with the conclusion and recommendation submitted by the hearings officer that Mr. Corbett met the requirements of the law that allows citizens who served in law enforcement prior to 1990 to run for sheriff even without holding a position of supervisory authority,” she said.

Maine law requires that sheriff’s candidates have at least two years of supervisory employment experience in law enforcement. But candidates are exempt if they have previously served as sheriff or worked as a full-time law enforcement officer before July 1990.

Corbett was accused of indicating in his paperwork to the secretary of state’s office that he was exempt as a former sheriff — a position that the former police and corrections officer has never held. The office later said the form that Corbett received was outdated, because it was missing the second exemption for police service prior to 1990.

In her recommendation to Bellows, Director of Elections Heidi Peckham wrote that such a misstatement would ordinarily disqualify a candidate, but that “in the unique circumstances here,” Corbett had honestly indicated that he met the qualifications for office because of his past police service.

FInal Decision York County Sheriff Challenge by Maine Trust For Local News

Peckham called it “troubling” that Corbett did not bring the form’s missing section to election officials’ attention, but she said the purpose of the law under which his candidacy was challenged “is not to punish candidates for false statements, but to ensure that unqualified candidates are not granted ballot access.”

Pellerin said Friday that he was notified of the outdated language on Corbett’s form just before last week’s hearing.

“I didn’t really have a strong legal argument at that point,” Pellerin said.

Pellerin said he moved forward with the hearing anyway “to set the record” straight on what it was he was challenging: that Corbett had never held the title of sheriff.

During the lengthy and sometimes bizarre hearing on March 27, Pellerin and Sampson also broadly argued that Corbett lacked the required supervisory experience for the position.

Corbett contended that his experience as a York County corrections officer and union president for his police department in the 1970s should count as supervisory. He also listed several examples of times when he felt he served in a leadership role on the job, including when he oversaw the Saco bike rodeo and when he and a coworker had to take a fatally injured cat to an incinerator.

Peckham wrote in her recommendation that she was not persuaded by that argument, but that the discussion was moot because Corbett is exempted thanks to his pre-1990 police work.

Sampson also questioned Corbett’s motivation for seeking the sheriff’s job, describing him as a “paper candidate” intended to siphon votes away from Pellerin and ensure that King wins another term. She noted at last week’s hearing that he has not worked in law enforcement for almost three decades and splits his time between Maine and Florida.

Corbett denied the collusion allegations, which he cast as politically motivated, and said he chose to run simply because no other Republicans did. He admitted to traveling often, since he is retired, but pledged to stay closer to home if elected sheriff.

Peckham declined to address the accusation that Corbett is running as a “spoiler” candidate.

“Neither challenger pointed to any legal requirement that a candidate for office have a sincere desire to win and hold the office for which they are running, nor am I aware of any such requirement,” she wrote.

On Friday, Corbett reiterated his concerns about the county chair of his party “going against” him, describing it as “a terrible thing.”

Sampson, a former state representative, did not immediately respond to a voicemail or email seeking comment Friday afternoon.