Maine police chief resigns after theft of his vehicle and shootout

PARIS, Maine (AP) — A police chief in a Maine town has resigned after spending several weeks on administrative leave following an incident in which 11 officers fired at a man accused of stealing two police vehicles.

Paris Police Chief Michael Dailey was taking Gary Porter, the suspect in the case, to jail in May on a felony theft warrant when Porter escaped, creating a chaotic series of events. Porter stole Dailey’s vehicle, crashed it and then stole a second police vehicle and crashed that one as well, authorities said.

Porter was struck once by an officer bullet during the incident and taken to a hospital. He faces numerous criminal charges, and his attorney called for a mental health examination.

A separation agreement provided by the town of Paris on Friday states that Dailey, police chief since May 31, 2019, resigned effective July 1. The agreement states that the town will provide “voluntary resignation” as the reason for the end of Dailey’s employment, and shall “provide a neutral reference to any prospective employer.”

Paris town officials said Friday they are still awaiting a formal written notice from Dailey regarding his resignation in addition to the separation agreement. Officials declined to comment about Dailey’s resignation beyond saying he had been on leave.

Dailey did not return a phone call seeking comment.