After only five months as the Two Bridges Regional Jail Correctional Administrator, Leonard LeGrand has resigned for personal reasons.

The Lincoln/Sagadahoc Jail Authority accepted LeGrand's resignation, effective immediately, following an executive session Monday, May 19, at the jail in Wiscasset.

Sagadahoc Sheriff Mark Westrum will take over as interim correctional administrator while the authority looks for LeGrand's replacement. Westrum will not receive any pay.

"I am already being paid by Sagadahoc County," Westrum said.

Sheridan Bond, authority chairman, said early Tuesday morning that the authority will begin immediately to advertise for the position.

LeGrand was hired this past January to replace Wayne Applebee, who resigned to take a position in Florida. LeGrand came with 30 years of experience in law enforcement.

Prior to accepting the position at Two Bridges he was a Deputy Sheriff Captain Investigator for the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department in New York. Being eligible to retire and having ties to Maine, he accepted the Correctional Administrator's position and moved to Maine.

LeGrand is the second administrator to resign since the jail opened in November of 2006.

Applebee, a Maine native, was hired in 2005, following the resignation of George Miller, who was hired during the time the jail was under construction. The authority paid for his move to Maine from Alaska. Miller, like LeGrand, resigned after just a few months.

Katharine Martin-Savage, chairman of the authority's Human Resource Committee, said Tuesday that the committee is actively pursuing a replacement. The committee is advertising in New England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland. Applications will be accepted until June 20.

In November of 2003 the voters from Lincoln and Sagadahoc counties authorized the issuance of $24.6 million in bonds to finance the construction of the new jail, to be owned and operated by the Jail Authority.

Two Bridges Regional Jail is the first regional jail operating in New England. The legislation to establish the jail authority was enacted in May of 2003.

The current jail authority directors include: Sheridan Bond, Lincoln County Commissioner, chairman; Todd McPhee, Sagadahoc County, Vice Chair; Peter Lepari, Sagadahoc County, Treasurer; Katharine-Martin-Savage, Lincoln County, Clerk; William Blodgett, Lincoln County Commissioner; Todd Brackett, Lincoln County Sheriff; Daniel Bradford, Lincoln County; Stephen Gardiner, Sagadahoc County; Harold Lewis, Lincoln County; Crispin Connery, Sagadahoc County Commissioner; and Mark Westrum, Sagadahoc Sheriff.