By State House News Service
Middlesex County Sheriff James DiPaola was found dead in a Maine hotel room this afternoon in what police are calling an “apparent suicide” after the sheriff was discovered in his bed by police with what is believed to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
DiPaola, 57, under fire this week after he acknowledged plans to exploit a state pension loophole, was found with a single gunshot wound to the head in a room at the Lafayette Resort in Wells, Maine, according to the local police department.
The Attorney General’s office and the state Ethics Commission were also investigating potential misuse of campaign funds at the time of his death.
According to Wells police, DiPaola was discovered shortly after noon by hotel cleaning staff who noticed that he had not checked out at the proper time and that his dead bolt was locked. Police found a “multiple page note” and firearm alongside his body.
Wells Police and the Maine State Police are investigating the matter, according to a statement issued by the Wells department.
The news of DiPaola’s death, which broke this afternoon and spread quickly, caught many in Massachusetts government and law enforcement by surprise.
“This is a shocking and tragic event. I extend my deepest condolences to the DiPaola family and to the sheriff’s staff, all of whom are certainly reeling with this news. Sheriff DiPaola had a 30-year record of public service. Tonight we honor that service and pray for his family,” Gov. Deval Patrick said in a statement.
A former House lawmaker, DiPaola had just won reelection to a third six-year term as sheriff, but he planned to step down in January following reports that he had sought to exploit a state pension loophole. DiPaola announced his retirement and issued a letter to constituents explaining his decision.
“I am deeply saddened by the death of Sheriff DiPaola, with whom I had the chance to serve in the House of Representatives,” said House Speaker Robert DeLeo in a statement. “My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.”
According to the Globe story, DiPaola quietly filed for retirement days before the Nov. 2 election, in order to begin drawing a $98,000-a-year pension. Because state pension laws permit retirees to run for elected office without forfeiting their pension, DiPaola’s reelection would have enabled him to receive his pension, in addition to a $123,000-a-year sheriff’s salary.
Although DiPaola abandoned the move once it was uncovered, other elected officials laced into him for considering it.
DiPaola, a Malden resident, oversaw the corrections system in Massachusetts’ largest county. According to the Middlesex County sheriff’s department, the county houses more than 1,400 inmates in Billerica and Cambridge facilities.
Prior to being first elected as sheriff in 1996, DiPaola served two terms in the House of Representatives and had been an 18-year veteran of the Malden police department. He also served 25 years in the United State Military Reserves.
DiPaola also flirted with a run for Congress in 2007, briefly moving to Lowell to prepare for a campaign before opting out of the Democratic primary to replace former U.S. Rep. Marty Meehan, who had resigned to become chancellor of UMass Lowell Patrick, who had already been preparing to appoint a replacement upon news that the sheriff intended to retire, now faces an immediate vacancy in the office.
“It’s just sad,” said Essex County Sheriff Frank Cousins, who served in the same freshman class of 1992 in the House of Representatives, of which DiPaola was elected president. “I think about the three daughters and his wonderful wife. This jobs comes with a lot of pressures these days, and he probably felt this was his only out. It’s just really sad.”
Rep. David Nangle, a Lowell Democrat and friend of DiPaola’s, said he felt at a loss for words upon hearing the news of his death.
“I’m in a state of shock. Jimmy DiPaola was a good man. My heart goes out to his wife and daughters and grandchildren. Jim DiPaola helped hundreds of people throughout the years, and I was deeply saddened when I heard the news today. My heart aches for his family, and I can say I was proud to call him a friend.”
DiPaola leaves behind his wife Adeline, three daughters and several grandchildren.
“My heart goes out to his family,” said Rep. David Linsky (D-Natick), who expressed an interest in DiPaola’s job after the sheriff announced his plans to resign in January.
The sheriff’s office indicated in a statement that Special Sheriff John Granara will take over operations of the department until a replacement can be named.
