Name: Anti-mask protester flew drone over Gov. Sununu's neighborhood, says prosecutor
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Anti-mask protester flew drone over Gov. Sununu's neighborhood, says prosecutor

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Portsmouth HeraldView CommentsBRENTWOOD — An anti-mask protester arrested outside Gov. Chris Sununu's home in December is now on the hook for a $1,000 cash bail after prosecutors say he violated his bail conditions and flew a drone over the governor's neighborhood.&nbsp;Skylar Bennett, 38, must pay the bail before April 2 to remain out on release while awaiting trial on charges of disorderly conduct and criminal trespass.&nbsp;Bennett was arrested while taking part in a protest outside Sununu’s home on Hemlock Court in Newfields Dec. 28, 2020.&nbsp;The new bail order was released Monday.&nbsp;Newfields police prosecutor Michael Di Croce had asked a judge March 19&nbsp;to revoke Bennett's bail entirely for allegedly not complying with good behavior provisions from his Dec. 28 arrest after two additional arrests in Manchester and allegedly flying a drone in Sununu's neighborhood last month.&nbsp;According to a motion to revoke bail, Di Croce stated Bennett allegedly violated a condition of his release&nbsp;not to be at Newfields’ Hemlock Court when he allegedly flew a drone over a residence Feb. 14. Part of the motion to revoke bail asked a judge to issue a no-contact order against Bennett at several addresses in town.&nbsp;More:More:When reached for comment, Di Croce said he found out about Bennett's drone use last week after being alerted he posted aerial photos on Facebook.Di Croce said there is an outstanding no-trespass order against Bennett from being on Hemlock Court.&nbsp;Bennett was released on a personal recognizance bail following his initial arrest in Newfields and has entered a plea of not guilty in his case. He was armed during the protest, according to police, as is permitted under New Hampshire law.&nbsp;Bennett was the only person arrested during the Dec. 28, 2020, protest outside Sununu's home, while several others were issued fines.&nbsp;He is a member of the group Absolute Defiance, which has been protesting at Sununu's home since Nov. 22, 2020. The group was protesting Sununu's statewide mask mandate and a then-recently passed ordinance in town banning "picketing" outside of homes, which Bennett and others claimed was a violation of their First Amendment right to peaceful assembly. Sununu, a Republican, was the last governor in the region to issue a mask mandate.Bennett, having already been issued a fine by police during the protest,&nbsp;told &nbsp;Dec. 29, 2020, he and members of the group were waiting for other protesters to catch up to them to march up a path that is adjacent to Sununu's home connecting the Hemlock Court neighborhood through the woods to the Newfields Country Store on Route 85. Bennett said he engaged in a brief argument with a couple of officers before a group of additional police wearing riot gear swarmed him and placed him under arrest.&nbsp;More:Since his arrest, Bennett has been arrested twice by Manchester police. The first arrest occurred March 5 on a charge of criminal mischief, and the second on March 14 on charges of criminal trespass, resisting arrest and breach of bail.According to published reports, Bennett was allegedly seen on video placing anti-mask stickers around&nbsp;downtown Manchester, prior to his March 5 arrest.&nbsp;As part of the amended bail conditions in the Newfields case, Bennett is now prohibited from flying a drone over the Hemlock Court neighborhood.More:View Comments

Portsmouth HeraldView CommentsBRENTWOOD — An anti-mask protester arrested outside Gov. Chris Sununu's home in December is now on the hook for a $1,000 cash bail after prosecutors say he violated his bail conditions and flew a drone over the governor's neighborhood.&nbsp;Skylar Bennett, 38, must pay the bail before April 2 to remain out on release while awaiting trial on charges of disorderly conduct and criminal trespass.&nbsp;Bennett was arrested while taking part in a protest outside Sununu’s home on Hemlock Court in Newfields Dec. 28, 2020.&nbsp;The new bail order was released...

Anti-mask protester flew drone over Gov. Sununu's neighborhood, says prosecutor

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