The Westbrook fire inspector has been placed on administrative leave, after Westbrook police arrested him last month.

Westbrook police arrested Lt. Charles Jarrett on the morning of Jan. 18 and charged him with being in possession of a firearm in violation of a protection order. He will be arraigned on March 20.

In a written statement, Westbrook City Administrator Jerre Bryant said the city placed Jarrett on administrative leave with pay on Jan. 19 and is conducting a review of the matter.

“The incident is both a criminal and a personnel matter,” Bryant said. “Neither of which the (city) is permitted to discuss openly. As soon as it is appropriate for further public disclosure of information on this matter, that will be done through the mayor’s office.”

Bryant said the Westbrook police have investigated the charges against Jarrett, and the matter has now been turned over the District Attorney’s office. Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Norbert declined to comment on the matter, saying information on the case is not yet public.

In fact, the District Attorney’s office, the city, and the Westbrook police department have not released any details of the incident that led to Jarrett’s arrest. The Westbrook police arrest report states that the arrest was made for violation of a protection order.

No record of Jarrett’s arrest was listed in the Westbrook police public arrest log the week of the arrest. Police Chief Paul McCarthy made an arrest report available Friday upon request from the American Journal.

The court order against Jarrett is an order for protection from abuse filed by Jarrett’s wife. The order was made without findings of abuse.

As a condition of the court order, however, Jarrett “may only possess weapons within the town of Sanford as part of military duty,” according to court documents. The order was filed on April 15, and it was amended on Sept. 30.

Jarrett is a volunteer in the New Hampshire Air National Guard unit and handles firearms in that capacity in various locations, including Franklinton, La., where he spent eight days last September aiding in the Hurricane Katrina relief effort.

Jarrett declined to comment Friday and referred all questions to his attorney Peter Evans of Givertz, Hambley, Scheffee, and Lavoie in Portland. Evans was in court Tuesday and unavailable for comment.

Bryant said while Jarrett is not at work pending an investigation, the city has not taken any disciplinary action against him.

He said administrative leave is not considered a disciplinary action. “But given the circumstances, (it) is an appropriate action,” he said. “Obviously, any disciplinary action can be appealed under the union contract. We are dealing with the issue of an incident in the workplace, and we’re dealing with it as a personnel matter. The criminal issues will follow their own path.”

Assistant Editor Mike Higgins contributed to this report.