Sunday we reported on the case of Robert Frese, arrested by the Exeter Police Department and charged with violating defamations defamation statute.
Exeter Police Chief William Shupe had Robert Frese arrested for an online comment in which he said: “Chief Shupe covered up for a dirty cop.”
Exeter PD dropped the charge after consulting with the State’s Attorney General “which believed prosecutors would be unlikely to win at trial.”
In our previous report, we noted the NH-ACLU’s objection, that,
“The public interest in preventing defamation is not sufficient to justify the repressive effect that criminal libel prosecutions may have on public expression. That is especially true where, as here, criminal charges are used to punish people for criticizing public officials and government agencies,” the group said.
Frese accused the Chief of covering for a dirty cop. The Chief’s response was to arrest him.
Exeter might want to keep an eye on their Chief, not so much for the accusation but because of the response.
