Former police officer sentenced for selling drugs from cruiser, gun charges in Maine

CALAIS, Maine — A former police officer who had worked nearly 20 years in Maine was sentenced to serve four years in prison for drug and gun-related charges last week.

Jeffrey Bishop, 55, of Cherryfield was charged in 2021 with four counts of aggravated furnishing of hydrocodone and fentanyl, and one count of unlawful trafficking in scheduled drugs.

Bishop was arrested on Feb. 5, 2021, in the parking lot of Narraguagus High School in Harrington, six days after resigning and serving a two-week notice. He joined the Calais Police Department in May 2019.

Drug agents said they found 110 matching hydrocodone pills from Bishop’s “police duty” bag in his home, and prosecutors alleged he was trading drugs for things besides cash, WGME reported.

Charges were later elevated to aggravated because Bishop allegedly gave drugs to a minor and did so within 1,000 feet of a school, the Bangor Daily News reported.

During his sentencing Monday, he told the judge that he was “very humble” and a “very broken man” but said he wasn’t fully satisfied with the plea agreement, the Bangor Daily News reported. He also said he was “baffled” that his police background was considered an aggravating factor regarding his sentencing, according to The Associated Press.

Kelli Dugan, Cox Media Group National Content Desk, contributed to this report.

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