I was astounded when candidate Kathyrn Mone won the Democratic primary for Strafford County Sheriff. Mone was Police Chief in North Hampton when a citizen, Coleen Loud, was breathalyzed, handcuffed, packed into a squad car, and arrested. For what crime? For drinking in her own home. This incident resulted in a $150,000 settlement payment that allowed N. Hampton to avoid a lawsuit and prohibited Ms. Loud from speaking further about the egregious violation of her rights.
Is it acceptable for the police to knock on the door and ask if you were aware of a crash in front of your home? Certainly. Is it acceptable for them to determine they smelled alcohol, breathalyze you, photograph your home without a warrant, and ultimately take you to the county jail? This clearly violates the 4th amendment, right to be secure in your own home.
Thanks to Cathy Baker for the Op-Ed. Send yours to steve@granitegrok.com
The town hired a 3rd party, Municipal Resources Inc. (MRI), to investigate. The NH Journal reported that the arresting officer had told investigators that Mone initially praised his decision to make an arrest. Police chief Mone and most of the police department left shortly after the investigation, with Mone’s departure costing N. Hampton another $96,408 in settlement payments.
The Journal also says the MRI report indicates Mone overstepped in other instances. For example, before the Loud incident, “Mone became frustrated when her officers failed to arrest a member of North Hampton’s select board” when they heard arguing in the home after police were called there for a motor vehicle complaint. The officer in charge found no legal grounds for action. Mone disagreed and inaccurately published the incident as a “domestic dispute” in the public police log.
Mone told Seacoastonline that disclosing the $150,000 settlement was designed to hurt her chances of running for sheriff, and she was “running to do the job – not play politics.” Harassing a selectman seems like playing politics to me, and clearly, her record of overly aggressive policing is directly relevant to running for Sheriff, a law enforcement position with MUCH GREATER POWER than a town police chief.
Mone has disqualified herself for sheriff through her disregard for constitutional rights. Using police powers on private citizens in their own homes is in direct violation of NH’s Live Free or Die philosophy and the NH and US Constitutions. And, as North Hampton’s experience shows us, it is also very expensive for taxpayers.