Humans can be frail. We make mistakes. Right and wrong is rarely clear or easy. I doubt anyone over the age of 12 hasn’t made a mistake they regret.

As adults, we take a deep breath, confess our fault and face the consequences. I realize that’s much easier said than done, particularly if one’s marriage, job, career or public reputation is on the line.

The issues with the alleged sexual assault by law enforcement leadership in Hallowell sounds like it has been messed up six ways to Sunday, with more than adequate blame to go around. Good people, smart people; people I know, like and respect have made some questionable choices. Or at least it appears that way as only segments of information, confused and sometimes contradictory, have been made public.

There is more than one victim in this situation. The people of Hallowell, and anyone who passes through Hallowell, have been victimized by a crime of omission. Anyone who lives in the area has a right to hear the truth about what happened, maybe not the details of the alleged crime, but how it was handled, from the first person who heard the complaint all the way up to the attorney general’s office — how and why did they decide as they did?

When people make a mistake of any size, it’s their responsibility to own up to it and do whatever is possible to correct the situation. And this set of mistakes is a doozy. It involves nothing less than public trust of the very arms of government to which we turn when we feel frightened or have been violated.

A pile of pooh has been tossed into the public arena. If officials respect us at all, I ask that they please tell us the truth.

Maggie Tregembo Ricker

Chelsea

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