Gardner detective Kolimaga retires at 51 after 25 years in law enforcement

GARDNER ― After 25 years in law enforcement, Eugene Kolimaga will go from tracking down clues to tracking down game in the sprawling, piney wilderness of Maine.

Kolimaga, 51, decided to retire earlier this month following his wife's retirement. He served seven years as a detective on the Gardner Police Department, investigating a variety of crimes including child abuse and sexual assault.

"Given this point in my life and my wife had recently retired as well, we've always had a plan to try to retire together that was the most important thing for us," he said. "We spend a lot of time with our grandkids and I, probably in the future, might find something else that interests me in some sort of employment."

Kolimaga and his wife's love for the wilderness led them to become Registered Maine Guides. The couple devotes days or even weeks to guide groups of hunters through the forests of Maine. Kolimaga said they both had to do an extensive oral test with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. The state of Maine has approximately 6,300 licensed guides.

In 2000, Kolimaga enrolled into the Athol police academy full time and he graduated that same year. Then in April 2015 he accepted the opportunity to become part of the Gardner detective team. He said he became a police officer because he wanted to have a career that helps people and makes the community better.

Other than investigating assault cases, Kolimaga had the responsibility of processing class two and three secondhand car sales and junk yard licenses. He also acted as a court liaison where he would collect documents, reports, and any evidence that defense attorneys and prosecutors needed.

Kolimaga is a father of two adult children and a grandfather, and he said his kids have always been supportive throughout his career as well as his wife. He said his career was full of learning experiences and was fulfilling because he helped create change for a lot of people in the community.

Making a difference

"The biggest part that I found out about my law enforcement career is when you find people that are down or in a bad position and you're in a position yourself as a police officer where you can make a difference in their life," he said. "I've learned from being a police officer it's important in my career to treat people just as you expect to be treated and that's the biggest thing about being a police officer."

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Gardner detective Eugene Kolimaga retires to be Maine hunting guide