Name: Prosecutor drops assault charge against Sarah Letendre, fired officer’s wife
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Prosecutor drops assault charge against Sarah Letendre, fired officer’s wife

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Jeff McMenemyView CommentsDOVER — Merrimack County Attorney Robin Davis has decided to drop the assault charge filed against the wife of a former Dover police officer in connection with a July 10 Rollinsford incident.Her office also decided not to file any charges against former officer Ronald “R.J.” Letendre in connection with the incident at their home in Rollinsford, Davis said Monday.Sarah Letendre, 35, received an outpouring of support on social media following the domestic incident between her and her estranged husband.Rollinsford police arrested Sarah Letendre at the time and charged her with simple assault and other charges.Davis said her office has dropped all the charges against Sarah Letendre relating to the July 10 incident.Sarah Letendre and her family have said R.J. Letendre, who is also a former mixed martial arts fighter, was the aggressor in the incident, during which she suffered multiple fractured ribs.Davis decided to drop the charges from the July 10 incident because “essentially we didn’t think we could go forward in regards to the charges against Sarah given some of the findings by his police department and the loss of his employment.”Davis declined to say what findings she was referring to.Police Chief William Breault announced in August he had terminated R.J. Letendre following an internal investigation.“Mr. Letendre’s employment as a city of Dover police officer has been terminated due to multiple violations of departmental policy,” Breault said in a statement released at the time.In response to a Right to Know request from Foster’s Daily Democrat, on Sept. 18 Dover City Attorney Joshua Wyatt wrote: “The Strafford County Attorney’s office is reviewing potential criminal charges related to information discovered by the Police Department’s internal investigation of Officer Letendre,” that are unrelated to the July 10 domestic altercation.Police launched the investigation after hearing from social media reports that R.J. Letendre had previously assaulted his estranged wife.Davis stated “we did not think it was appropriate to charge R.J. Letendre given the facts and circumstances that resulted from the investigation.”“It is not clear how the ribs were broken. There was consistent testimony that they were in a physical confirmation and had fallen to the ground,” Davis said. “It’s not clear we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt he intended that to happen.”“I think given the investigation done by Rollinsford police it was clear that Sarah was the initial aggressor,” Davis said.It does not appear that either person was using drugs or alcohol on the night of the incident, Davis said.Sarah Letendre will still face criminal charges from a separate July 11 incident, Davis said.Early on July 11, Rollinsford police stopped her vehicle, alleging she violated a protective order for contacting R.J. Letendre, they said.As an officer attempted to arrest her and remove her from the vehicle, she sped off, according to police.A warrant was obtained for Sarah Letendre on the following charges: reckless conduct, violation of a protective order, resisting arrest, disobeying a police officer and breach of bail conditions.She will continue to face those charges, Davis said.Her office’s investigation concluded that the “Rollinsford Police Department was accurate on July 10 when they arrested Sarah Letendre.”“In my opinion Rollinsford PD acted very professionally on this particular date on investigating this matter, as well as the booking process,” Davis said. “I have no concern about how Rollisford PD conducted themselves and did not find any cronyism or anything like that in regard to R.J. Letendre.”She stressed that her office’s review was focused on “if anyone could be charged with criminal offenses.”“This is a matter of just looking at the facts and circumstances that came out of the investigation,” Davis said about her investigation. “I think it is the correct decision.”She added that she was “reserving judgment on whether there were any longstanding issues in their marriage.”The former couple has two young children.“My hope is that through their attorneys and through the family court they are able to really move forward as a family unit despite not being together,” Davis said. “They need to be strong healthy co parents for their children.”In terms of Sarah Letendre’s ongoing charges, Davis said her office will make a plea offer to her.“Our hope is we can resolve these matters in some way that has accountability but also gives the opportunity for Sarah Letendre to move forward in a positive way,” Davis said.She credited the people who supported Sarah Letendre since her arrest.But Davis stated, “I think social media can get out ahead of it before all the facts and circumstances can be evaluated.”R.J. Letendre suffered scratches to his chest during the July 10 incident, according to a police report filed by Rollinsford police.Strafford County Attorney Tom Velardi asked the Merrimack County attorney’s office to take over the investigation because of concerns raised by some in the community about his relationship with Dover and Rollinsford Police.Supporters of Sarah Letendre held three separate rallies for her after her arrest.R.J. Letendre’s lawyer, Katherine Phinney, could not be immediately reached for comment Monday.Sarah and R.J. Letendre both filed domestic violence petitions against each other after the incident. They agreed to withdraw their requests for the protection orders in August.In recently filed court documents, Sarah Letendre’s attorney Michelle Wangerin stated “Mr. and Mrs. Letendre are working toward a global resolution that will resolve these matters in the best interests of their minor children.”View Comments

Jeff McMenemyView CommentsDOVER — Merrimack County Attorney Robin Davis has decided to drop the assault charge filed against the wife of a former Dover police officer in connection with a July 10 Rollinsford incident.Her office also decided not to file any charges against former officer Ronald “R.J.” Letendre in connection with the incident at their home in Rollinsford, Davis said Monday.Sarah Letendre, 35, received an outpouring of support on social media following the domestic incident between her and her estranged husband.Rollinsford police arrested Sarah Letendre at the time and charged...

Prosecutor drops assault charge against Sarah Letendre, fired officer’s wife

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