Two Bridges Regional Jail Correctional Administrator Col. Mark Westrum will continue on paid administrative leave until Dec. 14, when the Lincoln and Sagadahoc Multicounty Jail Authority will again meet to discuss his future as jail administrator.
Westrum was placed on paid administrative leave after his October arrest on a charge of operating under the influence in Bath. After an executive session at its Wednesday, Nov. 9 meeting, the jail authority voted unanimously to continue the paid administrative leave until its December meeting.
Westrum is scheduled to appear in West Bath District Court on Tuesday, Nov. 22, according to the Bangor Daily News.
Westrum is a former four-term sheriff of Sagadahoc County, former chairman of the jail authority, former chairman of the now-defunct Maine Board of Corrections, former president of the Maine Sheriffs Association, and former president of the Maine Jail Administrators Association.
He has worked as jail administrator since 2008, and guided the jail through several transitions caused by changes in legislation.
Westrum led the jail through the regional consolidation of the county corrections system, which turned Two Bridges into a flagship jail tasked with housing out-of-county inmates.
He also led Two Bridges through recent changes to the county corrections system that redefined Two Bridges’ mission and severely impacted the jail’s revenue streams.
By negotiating contracts with Waldo, Oxford, and Kennebec counties to house their inmates, Westrum maintained a balanced budget for Two Bridges for the 2016-2017 fiscal year.
