ArrayJuly 9, 2019 at 2:43 pm
We would like to say thank you and congratulations to Game Warden 
Corporal Michelle Merrifield on her recent retirement from Maine Warden Service after a 25-year career!
Corporal Merrifield was hired by Warden Service in 1994 after earning her bachelor’s degree from Unity College. During her career, Michelle held the positions of District Game Warden, Whitewater Boating Specialist, Landowner Relations Sergeant, and K9 Team Corporal. She became the first woman to earn a promotion to Sergeant, and only the second woman to retire from a career in the Warden Service since it was established in 1880.
Corporal Merrifield spent much of her career in Aroostook County, but more recently worked the midcoast region of Maine in the Camden/Rockport district, one of the busiest patrols in the region. Michelle was a strong believer in the concept of community policing and she created a strong network of support in the communities she served.
For over 23 years, Michelle was a member of the Maine Warden Service K-9 Team, and in 2013, she was promoted to lead the K-9 Team. She dedicated countless hours to the team in support of their mission and multiple roles in the agency including providing training opportunities for team members, oversight and assignments at searches, working directly with the Maine Criminal Justice Academy, and keeping K-9 teams equipped with up-to-date equipment so they and their dogs may perform their duties. Over the years, Corporal Merrifield and her K-9 partners participated in hundreds of search and rescue missions, locating and bringing many people back home to their families; as well as helping families find closure during tragedy.
Many agencies and organizations often looked to Corporal Merrifield for her guidance or assistance which reflected the respect they had for her expertise as K-9 handler and team leader. Michelle built a strong professional network and worked closely with Maine Search and Rescue Dogs, Maine State Police, the Maine Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and various law enforcement agencies throughout New England.
Please join us in congratulating Corporal Michelle Merrifield on a successful 25-year career serving and protecting the natural resources, citizens and visitors of the State of Maine!
Corporal Merrifield received many awards and recognitions throughout her career. In 2010, She was the recipient of the Maine Warden Service K-9 Team Search and Rescue Case of the Year Award. She was recognized for her assistance in locating evidence as part of a Maine State Police homicide investigation as well as locating an autistic child in the woods and bringing him back to his family. Corporal Merrifield and K-9 Piper were also the recipients of the 2014 William R. Roseberry Spirit of America Award. In 2016, Corporal Merrifield and K-9 Piper were awarded the Maine Warden Service SAR Case of the Year Award. This award recognized the team’s effort to locate a missing elderly man. Their quick response and expertise likely saved the man’s life.