A Maine high school is demanding Gov. Paul LePage apologize for fabricating a story about a drug-addicted student overdosing three times in one week — but The Pine Tree State's top lawmaker won't back down, insisting the sordid tale is the truth.
LePage related the wild scenario at a town hall meeting in Lewiston as he explained his opposition to allowing wider access to Narcan, a drug that reverses overdoses,
The Portland Press Herald reports.
"A junior at Deering High School had three Narcan shots in one week. And after the third one, he got up and went to class. He didn't go to the hospital. He didn't get checked out. He was so used to it he just came out of it and went to class," LePage said.
School officials went ballistic, prompting Portland Acting Superintendent Jeanne Crocker to declare: "Unequivocally no. This did not happen at Deering High School."
State Rep. Erik Jorgensen added: "This didn't happen, plain and simple … He owes the hardworking students and faculty of Deering an apology."
And Senate Democratic leader Justin Alfond commented: "Donald Trump may double down on his lies when confronted with the truth, but we can't sit by while Gov. LePage makes up hurtful stories about our community."
But LePage, known for his combative, take-no-prisoners personality, has no plans to back down.
"It was not fabricated. This was an actual conversation," the governor said on Monday, insisting the story was told to him by a school resource officer, the
Bangor Daily News reported.
LePage said Portland Police Chief Michael Sauschuck was "in the room" when the student overdose story was told.
But Sauschuck told the Press Herald that the story, told by Deering's school resource officer Steve Black, was about an overdose in a park and did not involve a student.
"The story was never about students. It was never about schools," the chief explained.
LePage has a history of making controversial comments that spark front-page headlines.
He once used a sexually vulgar phrase to describe how he thought a Democratic lawmaker was taking advantage of people, told the Portland branch of the NAACP to "kiss my butt" and likened the Internal Revenue Service to the Gestapo.
LePage also implied Stephen King, who lives in Bangor, spent more time in Florida to avoid paying full property taxes. The bestselling author insisted he paid "every cent" and called on LePage to "man up and apologize." LePage ignored the request.
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