Former Bar Harbor Police Chief Stopped For Allegedly Driving While Intoxicated

Ellsworth Police arrested former Bar Harbor Police Chief Nate Young for allegedly driving while intoxicated.

According to the Ellsworth American, Young's pickup was stopped in the Hilltop on the Run parking lot at around 8:00 Sunday night after police received a report of an erratic driver northbound on Route 3. The driver who contacted police said the pickup with a plow was swerving in and out of its lane and even hit a median with the plow. The 54-year-old was charged with Operating While Under The Influence after failing a field sobriety test. He was taken to the Hancock County Jail and later released on bail.

Young has a pending lawsuit against the town of Bar Harbor regarding his dismissal in 2014. He was fired by then-Town Manager Dana Reed after an investigation into a 2013 incident during which Young was allegedly belligerent to officers who were doing a well-being check. The officers were investigating a truck parked at night at the closed Town Hill Market and found an allegedly intoxicated Young inside the vehicle.

He filed an appeal of his dismissal that was turned down by the Town Council, and so he filed a lawsuit in state court. The complaint was later transferred to U. S. Federal Court in Bangor. The suit alleges that Young was a victim of discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Maine Human Rights Act due to his alcoholism. It goes on to allege that he was fired for taking leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act to seek treatment. His claims were dismissed by a U.S. District Court judge in June because he felt that Young had failed to prove his case. The former Police Chief subsequently filed a complaint in state court. The case is expected to go to trial, although a date has not been set. Young will be in court for the latest OUI charge in February.