SKOWHEGAN — Former Skowhegan Fire Chief Richard E. Fowler Jr. has been indicted by a New Hampshire grand jury on a class A felony theft charge.

Fowler, 47, was fired Aug. 8 by Town Manager Christine Almand after about three months on the job when news of a criminal investigation came to light. He previously had been fire chief in Farmington, N.H., where a criminal investigation involving missing money was underway.

He faces a maximum of 15 years in the New Hampshire State Prison if he is convicted, according to Strafford County Attorney Thomas Velardi, who confirmed the indictment Tuesday. The grand jury in Strafford County Superior Court in Dover N.H., returned the indictment.

“His arraignment is Oct. 30, and at that point we will start to discuss whether there’s a resolution to the case or if a trial will be necessary,” Velardi said.

Fowler would not comment on the indictment when contacted by phone Tuesday afternoon, and he did not say whether he has a lawyer. Neither Almand nor Farmington, N.H., Fire Chief Peter Lamb could be reached Tuesday afternoon for comment.

Velardi said the indictment alleges that more than $1,500 was stolen, but the investigation revealed that it was “substantially more” than that. The money should have been on the books for the town of Farmington, but it was misdirected, he said.

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The theft was reported to authorities by a member of the Farmington Fire Department, Velardi said in August.

According to a copy of the indictment, the theft of town funds is alleged to have occurred between Nov. 1, 2009, and June 30, 2014.

Fowler took over in Skowhegan in May for longtime firefighter and fire chief Tom Keene, who was terminated Dec. 30 by then-Town Manager John Doucette Jr.

Keene, 58, had been a firefighter for more than 40 years and chief for 21 years. In the last two years, both his legs were amputated because of complications from diabetes. He went on medical leave Sept. 19, 2013, after his most recent surgery.

Fowler’s starting salary in Skowhegan was $56,000, about the same as what he was earning in Farmington.

Almand, who took over as town manager the same day that Fowler took over as fire chief in May, appointed Fire Department Capt. Shawn Howard as interim fire chief and later named him as chief.

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The fire chief interview committee in Skowhegan earlier this year included the Board of Selectmen — Betty Austin, Newell Graf, Steve Spaulding and Paul York. Skowhegan Road Commissioner Greg Dore, who was interim town manager during the hiring process, also served on the search committee, as did Howard and Almand, then the town’s human resources director.

“As with all full-time hires, a thorough background check was performed, which included checking references,” Almand said at the time.

Doug Harlow — 612-2367

dharlow@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @Doug_Harlow


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