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Strafford County’s race for sheriff provided Democrats with one of the few bright spots in Tuesday’s otherwise dismal election, as former North Hampton Police Chief Kathryn Mone became the first woman to win the office in county history.

Mone, who was ousted from North Hampton after her department arrested a woman for drinking beer in her own living room, is taking over for the last elected sheriff, alleged felon and fellow Democrat Mark Brave.

Mone told Foster’s Daily Democrat she’s ready to move the sheriff’s department and the community forward, past Brave’s scandal.

“The staff there had nothing to do with what happened with Mark Brave, and I am disappointed that he continues to be a distraction to the good work done here. But, to that end, I want every resident in Strafford County to expect and demand full transparency from me. I want to help build trust again, and I need people to demand that of me,” Mone told the paper.

Mone says she wants to connect with the community and build relationships. Presumably, she’ll hope to avoid the management style that eventually led to her ouster in North Hampton.

“(Mone) would rather get sued for taking action than not,” one North Hampton officer told a Municipal Resources Incorporated (MRI) investigator hired by the town.

North Hampton agreed to pay resident Colleen Loud $150,000 in 2022 to avoid a lawsuit stemming from her 2018 arrest for drinking beer at home, alone, while watching a baseball game. Initially, Mone supported the arrest, according to the MRI investigation into the matter.

Loud was taken to jail and her home subjected to an illegal search by North Hampton officers who suspected she might be intoxicated. Police knocked on Loud’s door to ask if she had witnessed a car accident that occurred outside her Granite Drive home.

Arresting officer Sgt. Asa Johnson told investigators with MRI that 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’s tenure in North Hampton ended in the spring of 2023 after a disagreement with selectmen over how to punish Johnson, the officer she originally praised for Loud’s arrest. Sources in North Hampton government told NHJournal Mone was a difficult boss whose management style caused a staff exodus. When Mone left North Hampton, the department was down to a skeleton crew of about three officers.

But now she’s sheriff, and voters in Strafford County seem to like firsts. Brave was the first elected Black sheriff in New Hampshire history. Last year, he became the first African American sheriff to be charged for allegedly stealing taxpayer money to fund his extramarital affairs and then lying to a grand jury about it.

The trial in that case is slated for next year.

Brave was recently indicted on new charges alleging he subsequently lied to the courts about his income in order to secure a free public defense attorney, another first for an elected sheriff, white or Black. He allegedly hid the money he obtained from the sale of his house, bought a sports car, and paid a year’s lease on an apartment in Massachusetts. He’s also charged with lying about his place of residence as he was then under court orders to remain living in Massachusetts.

On Tuesday, he became the first Stratford County sheriff to get placed on the state’s Exculpatory Evidence Schedule, but not for any of the alleged crimes.

The EES, sometimes called the Laurie List, is a list of police officers with serious credibility problems kept by the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office. The list was secret for years, and the identities of the officers is only disclosed to defense attorneys as needed at trial. A law change in 2021 requires the attorney general to publish a public list which is updated quarterly. 

The list does not give detailed reasons for the inclusion of any of the officers, and Brave was added for an “untruthfulness” incident that took place on Dec. 9, 2022. That’s the day Brave’s ex-wife, Jaimie Brave, was arrested for drunk driving in Portsmouth. 

Mark Brave is alleged to have lied to county officials, saying he was “home watching the kids” when his wife was arrested. He also gave his deputies the impression he was not in the car, joking with them that “she should have called an Uber.”

NHJournal uncovered police reports that show Brave was in fact a passenger in the car when his wife was stopped. A police report and an investigative report from MRI commissioned by the county found Brave was also intoxicated and unable to drive after failing a breathalyzer test. Brave was then taken into protective custody by a New Hampshire State Police trooper and given a ride to a friend’s house. Meanwhile, Jamie Brave was taken into custody and booked.

Former Strafford County Sheriff Mark Brave (D) is getting yet another life lesson about consequences as a grand jury in Rockingham Superior Court handed up criminal indictments connected to the lies he allegedly told in order to get a free lawyer.

The 39-year-old disgraced ex-lawman and one-time New Hampshire Democratic Party star is getting two new felonies and three new misdemeanors added to the long list of criminal charges that forced him from office last year. The indictments come after Brave turned down at least two different plea agreement offers earlier this year.

Brave was charged last summer for allegedly stealing $19,000 in taxpayer money in order to fund his love life, and then lying about it when brought before a grand jury. The new indictments allege Brave followed up his arrest in the theft and perjury case by lying to the courts about his income and place of residence.

Brave allegedly hid the fact he cleared a substantial amount of money from the sale of his Dover home in order to qualify for a free public defender. Brave reportedly made enough money from the sale to buy a 1968 Porsche and pay a year’s lease up front on an apartment in Massachusetts.

At the time, however, Brave was under court orders to reside in New Hampshire. The disgraced Democrat got around that order by simply lying, according to the indictments. Brave told court officials he was living in a Dover apartment rather than out of state.

When the alleged lies were discovered late last year, Brave was still Strafford County Sheriff. He was collecting his salary while on administrative leave, despite no longer living in the state. The revelation about the Massachusetts apartment and his income forced Brave into a December deal to finally resign from his post in order to stay out of jail for violating his bail order.

Now the lies have come back to bite Brave in the form of the new indictments. 

Prosecutors said last month, before the indictments were handed up, that any trial in the original case won’t happen until next year. There’s still the opportunity for Brave to seek a plea agreement. But with the new charges it appears he does not have leverage in any possible negotiation.

Elected in 2020 as New Hampshire’s first Black sheriff, Brave promised to reform the police culture within the department. At the time, though, the Strafford County Sheriff’s Department focused less on law enforcement and more on civil process service.

Brave allegedly promoted a woman he took to Florida on the county dime to a “special deputy” position despite the fact she was not a certified police officer. He allegedly maxed out his county credit card on expenses from taking various women on dates and short vacations. Brave wooed so many different women, in fact, that he could not identify a specific woman when questioned by investigators. At the time, Brave was married, though he’s since divorced.

Earlier in the investigation, Brave claimed his fellow Democrats on the Stratford County Commissioners were racists who were out to get him. That’s unlikely to be an effective strategy in court, lawyers tell NHJournal.

Strafford County voters now face the choice between Republican Scott Tingle and Democrat Kathryn Mone. 

Mone’s resume includes her recent stint as the North Hampton Police Chief where she oversaw a mass employee exodus while she micromanaged the staff, according to sources. The town was stuck with a $150,000 tab settling a case overseen by Mone that involved two of her officers improperly arresting a woman for drinking beer at home while watching baseball, after they performed an illegal search.

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.

While Democrat Andrew Kennedy is a new name in New Hampshire politics, the candidate running for state House in Lee, N.H. has a familiar face. 

Andrew Kennedy — formerly “Andrew Gregoire” and until recently “Andrew Bouldin” — was elected a state representative under the latter name in 2018 to represent the Manchester.

Bouldin was set to run for a third term in 2022 when he suddenly resigned his House seat without explanation and moved out of the district. As he tries to get back into public life in a new town with a new name, the reasons for his disappearing act are now being revealed.

According to a Manchester Police Department report obtained by NHJournal, Bouldin (now Kennedy) was investigated for sexually grooming a teen girl by giving her alcohol and showing her pornographic material.

The investigation happened in 2023 when the girl came forward, and after Bouldin had seemingly removed himself from public life. The alleged grooming incidents happened prior to his surprise 2022 resignation, a source told NHJournal.

NHJournal is not identifying the girl or the adult who contacted police about the alleged grooming. The alleged incidents happened both in Manchester and out of state, according to the police report. 

The girl told investigators Bouldin gave her alcohol, showed her pornography, asked her about her sexual preferences, and asked her if she masturbated. During one conversation, Bouldin reportedly told the girl he wanted to get a sex change to experience “being a female,” according to the report.

Bouldin was not charged when police concluded much of his inappropriate behavior fell outside the statute of limitations or occurred outside New Hampshire. Bouldin never asked the girl to engage in any sexual activity with him, and there are no witnesses to him serving her alcohol or talking to her about sex, according to the report. 

Bouldin refused to speak to police when they reached out as part of their investigation. Contacted by phone Thursday night, Bouldin – now Andrew Kennedy – hung up.

Kennedy is one of four Democrats running in the Democratic primary for New Hampshire House of Representatives Strafford 11 on Sept. 10.

Walter King, chair of the Strafford County Democrats Committee, did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday. NHJournal has learned the committee’s leadership was aware of the accusations but felt powerless to stop Kennedy’s candidacy without any concrete proof to substantiate the claims.

Andrew Kennedy currently has a page on the Stafford County Democrats Committee website touting his candidacy, as do all the other Democratic candidates.

Bouldin was a reliably progressive vote during his previous service in the House. He voted against cutting the business profits tax, the parental bill of rights and displaying the national motto “In God We Trust” in schools. He also opposed a ban on late-term abortions.

It is not clear if Andrew Gregoire/Bouldin/Kennedy ever took legal steps to officially change his name. The Andrew Kennedy name was adopted after he attended a rally for independent presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr., according to a source familiar with the decision.

NHJournal initially sought copies of the police report from Manchester Police via a Right to Know request. That request was denied on Tuesday when Manchester Police Lieutenant Jared Yaris determined there is no public interest involved in Andrew Bouldin’s case.

“Utilizing the balancing test, it appears, based on your request, that an individual’s privacy interest outweighs the public interest. There does not appear to be any public interest at stake in your request, and it was not articulated that there is a health or safety concern in this matter,” Yaris wrote.

Yaris told NHJournal he was unaware that Bouldin had been a state representative and did not know about his new candidacy under the new Andrew Kennedy name.

His campaign website includes the fact that he previously served in the House. It does not mention, however, that his service was under a different name.

Former Strafford County Sheriff Mark Brave’s criminal case is in limbo as prosecutors push back the trial that was set to start in the coming days, possibly sparing more charges against the lothario lawman.

Brave, once a rising star in the New Hampshire Democratic Party, is accused of stealing close to $20,000 in taxpayer money to fund multiple extra-marital affairs, and then lying about the money and affairs when called to testify before a grand jury.

With jury selection scheduled to start this week, prosecutors had warned Brave they would seek new charges if Rockingham Superior Court Judge Andrew Schulman did not push back the proceedings.

“During prior hearings in this matter, the State informed the Court and counsel for the Defendant that in the event a plea agreement was not reached in this matter, the State would consider superseding the Strafford County indictments currently pending in this matter, as well as potentially seeking additional indictments in Rockingham County for conduct that has occurred during the litigation of the Strafford County indictments,” Assistant New Hampshire Attorney General Joe Fincham wrote in a June motion.

Schulman has now agreed to the delay, setting the next court date in the case as a status conference. That conference is not yet scheduled.

Brave’s attorney, Leif Becker, told Foster’s Daily Democrat there’s always the chance Brave will finally get a plea deal he likes, and avoid the trial altogether.

“There is still the opportunity for a case to be resolved at any point prior to a trial,” Becker said. “Here, because a trial would involve many witnesses and much testimony the state wants to look at the court scheduling and possibly make adjustments considering the timing of a trial.”

Brave’s been playing hard to get when it comes to a plea deal. He turned down a proposal the state offered earlier this year, and prosecutors were not impressed with his counter. The two sides ended up in mediation and the impartial mediation judge crafted a new plea deal. Brave refused to sign onto the mediated offer, sending the case to the scheduled August trial.

Brave’s been competing in Olympic-scale legal jeopardy for more than a year. Though not exactly winning, he’s managed to stay out of jail. But, Brave’s post-arrest alleged shenanigans are the subject of the possible new indictments Fincham warned about if forced to go to trial this month.

After he was indicted last year, Brave’s case was moved to Rockingham County to avoid a conflict of interest. It’s in Rockingham County where Brave is accused of lying to court officials about his income and his place of residence. 

Brave was assigned a free, public defense attorney last year when he claimed he was essentially broke following his divorce. However, it came to light Brave was, in fact, flush with cash after the sale of his marital home in Dover. He had enough money to buy a 1968 Porsche and pay a year’s lease on an apartment in Massachusetts, according to court records.

On top of hiding the money from the court, Brave was also under an order from Schulman to remain living in Massachusetts pending trial. Brave got around that order by telling the court he was living in a Dover apartment while he was really living in Massachusetts. 

At the time Brave’s lies were discovered, Fincham threatened to have him charged with theft for taking his New Hampshire sheriff’s salary while living out of state, and have his personal recognizance bail revoked. As an elected official, Brave is required to live in New Hampshire, according to Fincham. Brave had been collecting his salary while out on paid administrative leave.

Brave got out of that jam by resigning his position in December in exchange for not going to jail right away.

Former rising Democratic Party star Mark Brave once thought he could play the race card and beat the rap over his alleged mishandling of taxpayer funds.

After he was arrested, the former Strafford County sheriff appeared to believe he could leverage a sweetheart deal by rejecting plea bargains from prosecutors.

Instead, after delaying the case for months, Brave may now face even more criminal charges if he decides to face a jury.

Brave is currently facing up to 64 years in prison on Stratford County charges for allegedly stealing taxpayer money to pay for his extramarital affairs and then repeatedly lying about it to a grand jury.

Assistant New Hampshire Attorney General Joe Fincham told Rockingham Superior Court Judge Andrew Schulman in a June 12 motion he plans to seek more indictments against Brave if the case does go to trial as scheduled on Aug. 5. 

Brave, who made history when he was elected New Hampshire’s first Black sheriff, could get another record in the books by becoming the state’s first elected sheriff to go to prison. He was a progressive favorite who ran a pro-Black Lives Matter campaign to reform law enforcement before he was caught stealing money to pay for multiple out-of-state liaisons with many different women who were not his wife, according to court records.

These possible new indictments would likely cover Brave’s alleged misdeeds as sheriff in Strafford County and his lies to Rockingham County court officials after he was charged. According to Fincham, Brave knew he could be charged with more by turning down a deal and going to trial.

“During prior hearings in this matter, the state informed the court and counsel for the defendant that in the event a plea agreement was not reached in this matter, the state would consider superseding the Strafford County indictments currently pending in this matter, as well as potentially seeking additional indictments in Rockingham County for conduct that has occurred during the litigation of the Strafford County indictments,” Fincham wrote. 

While he was being investigated last year, Brave accused members of the Strafford County Commission of targeting him because they were racist. All three members of the commission are elected Democrats.

Once he was indicted, Brave’s case was moved to Rockingham County to avoid a conflict of interest. It’s in Rockingham County where Brave is accused of lying to court officials about his income and his place of residence. 

Brave was assigned a free public defense attorney last year when he claimed he was essentially broke following his divorce. However, it came to light Brave was, in fact, flush with cash after the sale of his marital home in Dover. He had enough money to buy a 1968 Porsche and pay a year’s lease on an apartment in Massachusetts, according to court records.

On top of hiding the money from the court, Brave also violated an order from Schulman to live in New Hampshire pending trial. Brave got around that order by telling the court he was living in a Dover apartment while he was really living in Massachusetts. 

When Brave’s lies were discovered, Fincham threatened to charge him with theft for receiving his New Hampshire sheriff’s salary while living out of state and revoke his personal recognizance bail. According to Fincham, Brave is required to live in New Hampshire as an elected official. Brave had been collecting his salary while out on paid administrative leave.

Brave got out of that jam by resigning his position in December in exchange for not going to jail right away.

Brave turned down a plea agreement offered by prosecutors earlier this year, and refused to sign on to a mediated plea agreement reached last month. That forced Schulman to schedule a trial for the first week of August.

Fincham’s motion seeks to hold the trial schedule since there’s still a chance the case can be resolved with a negotiated plea. According to Fincham, talks between prosecutors and Brave’s attorney are ongoing.

If those talks fail and the case goes to trial, Fincham said the new indictments he plans to seek could come weeks before the jury is selected, giving little time for either side to file any necessary motions on the charges.

Fincham notes he will also need more time than Schulman has scheduled to call the numerous out-of-state witnesses he has planned. 

The Rockingham County venue for the trial is another issue that needs to be resolved before trial, according to Fincham. Brave has the constitutional right to have the trial on the original charges held in Strafford County. So far, there’s been no court finding that Brave cannot have a fair trial in Strafford County, and Brave has not formally asked to change the venue from his home county, Fincham wrote.

Facing 64 years in prison on charges he stole taxpayer money, spent it on his girlfriends, and then lied to a grand jury, former Strafford County Sheriff Mark Brave is rolling the dice on a possible trial.

Brave did not accept the proposed plea agreement reached in mediation by the court-ordered deadline, meaning the case now moves to a jury trial. Brave had until Friday to accept the deal crafted in mediation with Rockingham County Superior Court by Justice Peter Fauver.

“No Notice of Intent to Plea was filed by the parties by May 24, 2024. Accordingly, we anticipate this matter being placed on the court’s trial track, in accordance with Justice Fauver’s report,” Michael Garrity, spokesperson for the New Hampshire attorney general, told Foster’s Daily Democrat.

The mediation was ordered in the case after Brave and prosecutors came to an impasse in plea negotiations. Brave and his attorney Leif Becker refused the Attorney General Office’s proposal, and the state declined Brave and Becker’s counter agreement.

Veteran defense attorney Mark Sisti, who is not part of Brave’s case, said no party is bound to accept any recommended proposal created during mediation. At the end of the day, the defendant is in control.

“The decisions whether to try a case or not try a case are totally on the shoulders of the defendant,” Sisti said.

While it can sometimes be in the best interest of either the defendant or the state, or occasionally both, to avoid going to trial, judges and lawyers cannot stop a determined defendant. 

It’s unknown what the sticking point might be in the mediated proposal. Fauver’s mediation report is under seal, as are the previously rejected proposals from the state and Brave. Sisti said that in these situations there is usually something the accused doesn’t like.

“There must have been a point the defendant couldn’t accept,” Sisti said. 

Sentences in criminal theft cases typically result in restitution orders that require the defendant to pay back the stolen money. Some prison time is also common in cases with multiple felonies, though defendants taking plea agreements generally get shorter stays in lock up as one of the benefits.

Plea agreements save time in court and money for the state and defendant, as well as allowing both parties to avoid the risk of losing a jury trial. Juries are often seen as unpredictable by prosecutors and defense attorneys. 

Judges impose the sentences when the jury is done, and convictions after a trial generally result in significantly more prison time.

Brave is potentially risking a lot by turning down two agreements. He’s charged with several counts of perjury, as well as felony theft and felony falsifying evidence. On top of that, Brave is a less-than-sympathetic character for juries to consider.

The story of a sheriff allegedly maxing out his county-issued credit card to facilitate multiple extramarital affairs is not likely to gain the sympathy of jurors. At one point, Brave admitted to investigators he did not know the name of one of his tryst partners, as there had been so many, according to court records.

While he was being investigated for the alleged thefts, Brave went on a public relations offensive, including playing the race card. Brave made the investigation public knowledge and told media that Strafford County Commissioners were harassing and bullying him, accusing one of being a racist.

After he was charged last year, Brave was caught violating his bail orders by moving out of state, and lying to the court about his money in order to get a free public defense attorney.

Still, Sisti thinks Brave has options before a jury hears about his alleged misdeeds, and unexpected things happen in the run-up to trials.

“It’s not clear the case will ultimately go to trial. A lot can happen,” Sisti said. 

A new plea offer is on the table for former Strafford County Sheriff Mark Brave, the lawman charged with stealing taxpayer money to fund his love life.

Brave, who was forced to resign last year after getting caught lying to the court, rejected the original plea agreement dangled by prosecutors in March. His counter proposal was then rejected by the state. But instead of heading to trial, Brave and lawyers with the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office agreed to enter into mediation. 

Mediator Peter Fauver met with both sides this week and issued an order on Wednesday. Fauver’s order is currently sealed. Michael Garrity, spokesman for the New Hampshire Department of Justice, told NHJournal the clock is now ticking.

“The parties were given until May 24 to resolve the matter by plea or the case will return to the trial track,” Garrity said.

Criminal mediation, also known as a felony settlement conference, typically involves a judge not connected to the case working with both sides to reach a consensus. According to New Hampshire Judicial Branch Policy, cases suitable for felony settlement conferences involve defendants who admit wrongdoing. The conferences include input from the alleged crime victims as the judge guides all parties to a deal.

Brave’s saga started last year when county officials became suspicious of his spending habits with the county credit card. According to the investigative report, Brave was using his county card to buy plane tickets, hotel rooms, and meals for his extramarital affairs. While he was under investigation, Brave refused to step down and instead lashed out in the press, claiming he  was the victim of political bullying and accused County Commissioner George Maglaras of racism.

When he was charged last summer on theft and perjury counts, Brave initially refused to go on paid administrative leave, but finally bowed out under pressure from county commissioners.

Brave got in trouble again soon, this time for violating his bail conditions, lying about where he lived, and hiding money in order to qualify for a free defense attorney, according to court records. 

Brave was not supposed to stay living in New Hampshire under the bail order set by the court, an order he ignored when he paid a year’s lease on an apartment in Massachusetts and bought himself a sports car. At the same time, Brave claimed he did not have enough money to pay for a lawyer.

When prosecutors discovered he did not live at the Dover address he used in court, they sought to have his bail revoked. They also accused him of additional theft for taking his sheriff’s salary while living in another state. Brave got out of that jam by agreeing to resign from his position. 

It remains to be seen if the mediated agreement also lets him stay out of jail.

Brave made headlines in 2020 when he became New Hampshire’s first elected Black sheriff. The new Democratic star ran a Black Lives Matter-friendly platform, agreeing to reform police. One of his campaign promises was to end the practice of having cops in schools, a promise he broke when he signed a contract with the Farmington School District for his office to provide a school resource officer. Such contracts bring in needed revenue to the department. 

Strafford County’s proposed $170 million nursing home project continues to be dogged by controversy and questions — and now, a canceled check from the state.

A $15 million funding agreement was canceled due to the county’s fiscal fumbling. Members of the Strafford County delegation reacted with anger when they learned county commissioners were pushing a “Taj Mahal” version of the nursing home, rather than a proposal from a different architect at a cost of less than $50 million.

Now, $15 million in state funding has been pulled. But County Administrator Ray Bowers downplayed the cancellation, telling NHJournal the money was really a grant.

“To start, there was no $15 million loan. We were promised a $15.6 million grant if we completed a portion of the nursing home project by 12/2025. The project was never approved in time so we were never eligible for the money,” Bowers said via email.

A loan cancellation notice issued in March shows officials with the New Hampshire Governor’s Office of Emergency Relief and Recovery (GOFERR) considered the money a forgivable loan, though Bowers sent NH Journal a copy of the original agreement signed last year in which the funding is called a grant.

The money could be considered Schrodinger’s Check, as it was potentially both a loan and a grant at the same time. 

Either way, the cancellation is the latest sign of trouble for the high-priced project pushed by county commissioners.

Last year, the County Nursing Home Infrastructure Program run by GOFERR approved the $15 million. GOFERR was created during the COVID-19 pandemic in part to administer ,state and federal funds earmarked to help municipalities and businesses deal with the consequences of the pandemic.

Strafford County’s proposed 215-bed nursing home design won approval for American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding geared to help county nursing facilities mitigate and prevent the spread of COVID-19, help ensure facilities are safe for residents and their families, and support facility improvements. The ARPA funding was given as a forgivable loan contingent on the county meeting certain benchmarks. Once all the requirements were met, the county would be under no obligation to repay the $15 million. If the county failed to meet the requirement, the forgivable loan would become a regular loan to be repaid, Bowers said.

“It is only a loan if you begin to take the money and then don’t complete the terms of the agreement. Once you complete the agreement it is a grant,” Bowers said.

But whether it’s a grant or a loan, the county isn’t getting the $15 million — and it is not getting a new nursing home anytime soon. Without a viable plan to build the new nursing home, Strafford County can’t even try to meet any of the loan/grant requirements.

In December, the county delegation blocked the funding for the $170 million nursing home citing cost concerns. That’s put a stop to the project that’s been in the works for years, but not to the recriminations.

State Rep. Cliff Newton (R-Rochester) wants a public accounting of what went wrong with the project, blaming county officials for pushing a plan they knew could not get approved.

“The county commissioners and county administration were warned repeatedly that $170-200 million for a new nursing home was excessive and would not get bonding. We asked for them to look at all options and to come up with something less costly and less extravagant. Instead, the county wasted two years pursuing two, similar in costs ‘Taj Mahal’ nursing home projects,” Newton said.

Newton has long been critical of the costs associated with the plan, and says there were lower cost proposals. But County Commissioner George Maglaras said those lower priced plans were not realistic and would not meet the county’s needs.

On the plus side for taxpayers, Bowers said there is no cost from the cancellation. Since no money changed hands between GOFERR and the county, there is no financial liability. The $15 million was always part of the total budget for the project, and Bowers said it could only be accessed with approval from the delegation.

“The county has no authority to spend any money not approved by the delegation. The delegation did not approve the funding of the nursing home; therefore, we had no authority to accept any of the 15 million,” Bowers said.

It’s still possible the county will start again on a new nursing home proposal, but Bowers said that will be up to the delegation. There’s discussion of holding a delegation meeting just on the nursing home issue, but no date has been set, he said. 

After taking heat for picking the $180 million design for the proposed new Strafford County Nursing Home over a $50 million bid, and then saying he never saw the less expensive bid, Commissioner George Maglaras said Wednesday the low bid wasn’tould work.

“The commission picked the firm we thought had a track record of building larger nursing homes and there are other written responses required within the answering of the RFP,” Maglaras told NHJournal.

Republican members of the Strafford County Delegation blasted Maglaras, a Democrat, and the two other Democratic Commissioners this week after learning about the lower bid from EGA Architects. Rep. Cliff Newton said the Commission kept him and other delegates in the dark about the lower-cost bid on the 215-bed proposal.

“Strafford County Commissioners and administration never informed the delegation of the EGA’s lower cost plan. Instead, they chose a much more expensive and institutionalized building plan without exploring different options that would have been acceptable to the entire delegation,” Newton said.

When contacted Tuesday about the EGA bid, Maglaras initially told The Rochester Voice he never saw EGA’s bid. That’s despite the fact the NHJournal found records showing the Commission was presented with all six bids, including EGA’s, on the project in 2022 when they voted to go with Warrenstreet. By Wednesday, Maglaras blamed politics for the kerfuffle, and said he was misunderstood.

“I said that there was never a $40 million proposal put before us,” Maglaras said. “These claims by some of the Republican members are misguided and are inflammatory and political in nature.”

According to Maglaras, the EGA bid quoted the Commission a cost of $350 a square foot to build the new home. But that number was never going to work, he said. EGA cited its work building the Carroll County Nursing Homes 10 years ago in its bid to Strafford. However, the construction company hired by EGA in Carroll told a slightly different story, Maglaras said.

“I brought in Bonnette, Page and Stone who was the contractor that actually built the Carroll County Nursing Home designed by EGA and they told the entire delegation in a public meeting it would cost $600 a square foot to construct a similar facility today and that the (Carroll County) home does not meet present federal design standards,” Maglaras said. “Architects don’t build buildings, construction companies do. You need to compare apples to apples not apples to cherries.

Comparing Maglaras’ math, that means the EGA bid would have cost as much as $83 million at $600 per square foot, instead of the $50 million the company quoted. The Warrentstreet project costs close to $1,300 per square foot.

The Republicans on the delegation have twice blocked the Commission from getting bonds for the $180 million proposal, and the Nursing Home project is currently stalled out. Maglaras wants to see the project get back on track.

“We have offered to meet with all the parties to see if we can’t move the process forward. The offer still stands and we will be reaching out to them,” Maglaras said.