Strafford County officials are initiating a process that could result in the ouster of Sheriff Mark Brave, who was arrested this week on several felony theft and perjury charges.
Strafford County commissioners have called a special meeting for Monday at which they will first confer privately with County Attorney Tom Velardi, before holding a public session concerning Brave’s employment status. At that time, commissioners could authorize a petition for Brave’s removal.
Any petition would need to win approval of the county's delegation of state representatives before Brave could be removed from office.
Brave, a Democrat who has served as Strafford County sheriff since 2021, has denied all wrongdoing.
“This is a political and racist attack,” Brave, the state’s first Black sheriff,told Foster’s Daily Democrat Friday.
If convicted on all the charges he faces, Brave could spend more than 60 years in prison and face fines of up to $32,000. In a press conference Thursday, New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella laid out the charges prosecutors have brought against Brave. They include multiple allegations that Brave misused county money for out-of-state travel involving romantic liaisons. Prosecutor also say Brave lied about the trips when testifying before a grand jury.
Among the allegations are that Brave concocted a false story about a meeting with U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas in Washington, D.C. to justify the cost of a trip to Maryland where he met with a romantic partner.
Brave’s bail conditions, set Thursday, bar him from possessing a gun and from having contact with 19 potential witnesses in his criminal prosecution.
The witnesses include eight people who now work under him at the sheriff's office, as well as Strafford County Commission Chairman George Maglaras, the chiefs of police in Manchester and Portsmouth, and all staffers in Pappas’ office.
“A lot of people are asking why hasn’t [Brave] been placed out on leave,” Vellardi said in an interview Friday. “There is actually no authority to place someone out on leave when they are a constitutional officer because they are elected by the people.”
The Strafford County commission, the county attorney and the county administrator have twice offered Brave the option of taking administrative leave, which Brave has refused. But Brave told Foster's Friday he will attempt to get his bail modified. Should that fail, Brave said he would “reevaluate.”
Vellardi said officials are keeping an eye on Brave’s interaction with employees of the sheriff's department.
“We are monitoring the situation to make sure that the bail conditions placed by the Attorney General’s office are being honored.” Vellardi said.
