Looking to retake the Strafford County Sheriff’s Office after Mark Brave’s notorious exit, Seacoast Democrats are backing a former North Hampton police chief who left her job following a controversial — and expensive — wrongful arrest case.
Kathryn Mone’s time leading North Hampton’s department resulted in the town paying $150,000 to resident Colleen Loud, according to a settlement agreement obtained by NHJournal.
North Hampton police took Loud out of her house in handcuffs, brought her to jail, and searched her home without a warrant for the alleged crime of drinking beer while watching baseball in her own living room. According to an independent investigation into the incident, Mone initially praised the arrest of a lone woman drinking in her own home.
Loud’s settlement is not surprising given statements made about Mone’s leadership during the subsequent investigation.
“[Mone] would rather get sued for taking action than not,” a police officer told investigators with Municipal Resources Inc. (MRI).
Loud was arrested in October 2022 after police sought to speak to her as a potential auto accident witness. The Granite Drive resident agreed last August to waive any legal claims against the town in exchange for a $150,000 payment, made through the town’s insurance carrier, according to the settlement agreement.
Mone quit her job in North Hampton on March 31, 2023, with no explanation, months after Loud’s arrest. She’s been working as a sheriff’s deputy in York County, Maine, since then.
Loud’s arrest occurred when two North Hampton officers responded to an auto accident at her home. Loud was watching television when a car crashed into a bush on her property, according to the MRI report. Loud told the officers she did not see or hear the crash.
But one officer started wondering about Loud’s condition, according to the MRI report. While Officer Matthew McCue did not notice anything unusual about Loud, Sgt. Asa Johnson told McCue he smelled alcohol and thought she might have been drinking.
“[McCue] said he did not observe any sign of impairment at that point. He explained that [Loud] seemed steady on her feet and he could not observe any odor [of alcohol] at that time,” MRI’s report states.
Johnson, who was the lead officer, wanted to investigate further.
“Does she need to be p.c.’d?” Johnson reportedly asked McCue. (P.C. is short for a protective custody arrest.)
Officers returned to Loud’s home to further question her and noticed the unclean condition of the home. Loud later told officers she had not cleaned in 10 years, according to the police report. (Having a dirty home is not a crime in New Hampshire.)
Asked if she had been drinking, Loud said she stopped off after work and drank a few beers before coming home to watch baseball. She said she might have had some hard lemonade at home. She was reluctant to submit to a Breathalyzer test in her own home, but she was given an ultimatum from Johnson, according to the report.
The test registered a blood alcohol percentage (BAC) of .086 percent. While that is above the .08 percent legal limit for driving, New Hampshire doesn’t have a legal limit for alcohol consumption while in your own home watching a baseball game, or any other televised sporting activity.
Based on the BAC test, however, Johnson took Loud into custody.
Loud was handcuffed, placed into the back of a cruiser, and transported to the Rockingham County House of Corrections. After the arrest — and without a warrant — the officers entered and searched Loud’s home, taking photos of the alleged mess.
According to McCue, Johnson said if the test showed she was not capable of driving, they would take her into custody. McCue conceded to MRI investigators that Johnson’s reasoning did not make sense.
Johnson told investigators Mone initially praised his decision to make an arrest. Days later, however, she told him she disagreed with some of the things he did but said she could not discuss it.
Mone told MRI she did not agree with the officers’ actions.
“Jail would not have been what I wanted, and there could have been and should have been a better resolution than that,” she said.
Mone also said the officers were wrong to enter Loud’s home and take photos. She told investigators she had questions about the officers’ judgment. But she didn’t pursue additional training for them after the arrest.
Asked what the officers should have done instead, Mone — who is currently running to oversee the Strafford County Sheriff’s Department — told investigators, “I don’t have an answer for that.”
Mone is running to fill the vacancy left by fellow Democrat Brave. The former sheriff is facing up to 60 years in prison if convicted on charges of theft and perjury. Brave allegedly used $19,000 in taxpayer money to fund his love life, including airfare and hotel rooms for out-of-state liaisons.
Last week, prosecutors signaled they could be looking to add charges against Brave. The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office filed a motion seeking documents on Brave’s original bail order and the court appointment of a public defender based on his allegedly bogus financial disclosure.
Prosecutors allege Brave lied about his finances in order to qualify for a free defense attorney. The documents now being sought could be used for a grand jury presentation to justify new criminal charges for allegedly misleading the court.
Brave’s case is not likely to go to trial until next year, barring a plea agreement. Brave has already rejected one plea offer, as well as a mediated plea settlement. Prosecutors said last week negotiations are ongoing.
Interim Strafford County Sheriff Joseph McGivern has been leading the agency since Brave’s arrest last year. He is not seeking election due to the age restrictions. Mone will face Republican Scott Tingle in November.
