Penobscot County treasurer facing criminal charges won't seek reelection

Mar. 16—Penobscot County's embattled treasurer who has faced criminal charges since last spring will not seek reelection after refusing for months to resign from the position and vowing to run for office this fall.

John Hiatt, 39, of Bangor did not file nomination papers by the 5 p.m. deadline Tuesday.

Hiatt has been charged with one count each of: possession of child pornography and aggravated invasion of computer privacy, both Class C crimes; stalking, a Class D crime; theft by unauthorized taking and violating a bail condition, both Class E crimes; and two counts of harassment, a Class D crime.

He has not yet been arraigned on those charges. Hiatt remains free on bail.

Neither Harris Mattson, the Bangor attorney representing Hiatt, nor county commissioners immediately returned requests for comment on Hiatt's decision not to run again.

Even though Hiatt is not running, there will be a race for the position.

Hiatt, a Republican, was elected to serve as county treasurer and as a member of the Bangor School Committee in 2018. He resigned from the committee in August but refused to step down as county treasurer despite calls for his resignation from county commissioners and Maine Republican Party leadership.

He has attended fewer county commissioners meetings since his arrest than he did prior to being charged. Hiatt's access to the building where county offices are located was limited after his arrest.

Republican businessman Glenn Mower, 67, of Bangor, whose grandfather served as county treasurer, and former County Commissioner and state Rep. Stephen Stanley, 69, a Medway Democrat, will vie for the position in November.

Mower owns the Bangor Letter Shop in Bangor. He said Wednesday that he would serve county residents with "dedication and integrity," if elected.

"I am at the right place in my life's journey to pursue this elected office and follow in the footsteps of my grandfather's legacy of public service," he said. "I believe that my education in accounting, experience in business and volunteer service in several community organizations would be beneficial to the residents of Penobscot County."

Stanley, a former millworker, has served in the Legislature off and on since the mid-1990s. He stepped down as a county commissioner in 2013 to run for the House of Representatives. Gov. Paul LePage appointed Laura Sanborn to replace him.

"The main reason why I am running for the County Treasurer's position is because I believe county government in the future will be playing more of a role in the lives of the citizens of Penobscot County and I want to be involved with that growth," Stanley said.

Sanborn will have an opponent in the Democratic primary on June 14. Edward Madden, 74, of East Millinocket is seeking to unseat her. Republican David Marshall, 71, of Millinocket also is running and will face the Democratic primary winner in November.

Other county officials seeking reelection who are unopposed are: Sheriff Troy Morton and Registrar of Deeds Susan Bulay, both Republicans. Former District Attorney R. Christopher Almy, a Democrat, is running unopposed to get his old job back. Almy stepped aside four years ago but continued to work for his successor, Marianne Lynch, who is not seeking reelection.

If convicted of either possession of child pornography or felony invasion of privacy, Hiatt faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000. Class D crimes carry a maximum one-year term of incarceration and a fine of up to $2,000, and the maximum sentence and fine for a Class E crime are six months in jail and $1,000.