FARMINGTON – The associate director for the Maine Office of Substance Abuse is facing a charge of operating under the influence.

Police say 62-year-old Joan Smyrski of Jefferson was charged with drunken driving after being stopped Sunday evening in the Franklin County town of Avon. She was freed on $150 cash bail.

Related Headlines DHHS substance abuse official pleads not guilty to operating under influence

The Sun Journal reported that Smyrski is scheduled to speak about opioid-prescribing limits at the Maine Nurse Practitioner Association’s annual fall conference in November.

Smyrski couldn’t be reached immediately for comment, and it wasn’t known if she has hired a lawyer. An automatically generated email indicates she was out of the office starting Sept. 27.

The newspaper said she’s due in court next month. If convicted, the penalty for OUI is a $500 fine and loss of license for 150 days.

Send questions/comments to the editors.