ROCHESTER — Rochester police said they
are awaiting a court appearance of an off-duty New Durham police officer who is
charged with simple assault against a female victim.
Chris Chesley, 29, of 367 Cross Road in Rochester, is charged with three counts of simple assault, all misdemeanors, against the same woman, on three separate occasions.
Capt. Paul Toussaint said Chesley was arrested on June 17 after a female victim — whose identity is being withheld — came forward. She told police she was assaulted by Chesley on April 8, June 7 and June 11, according to Toussaint. Information from the Rochester Police Department is limited according to their domestic violence policies, he explained.
According to WMUR, Chesley allegedly pushed and grabbed the woman during these incident. He is expected to appear in court in September.
Toussaint said Chesley was released on personal recognizance bail on the day of his arrest.
New Durham Police Chief Shawn C. Bernier said his department is conducting its own internal investigation of Chesley, who works as a patrol officer, according to the New Durham town website, and who was off-duty at the time of these alleged occurrences. Bernier said the man has worked in his department for almost five years and will remain on leave until his department completes their investigation.
Bernier said his department's investigation will serve "to see if any policies had been violated within the department." He said he could not comment further as to what the investigation would entail or what violations may have occurred.
Asked if he had dealt with a matter like this before, Bernier said no, and added generally, there is no specific policy as to handle matters of this nature.
"It depends on the situation but pretty much, he's on leave status until the internal investigation is completed by the department," he said.
He noted it would be possible for the department to complete their investigation before Chesley's court appearance slated for the fall.
Bernier said because it is related to personnel records, he could not release where Chesley had worked before coming to New Durham. He said he had no specific comment on the development but stated, "I think (this) shows that nobody is above the law and everybody is held accountable."
Rochester Police Chief Michael Allen said his department will be diligent in their investigation.
"Obviously as evidenced by the arrest that was made, police officers are treated just the same as any citizen would be treated," Allen said. "We treat all members of the public with fairness. Police officers aren't above the law. They're held, in fact, in many cases, to a higher standard than an average citizen."
Chris Chesley, 29, of 367 Cross Road in Rochester, is charged with three counts of simple assault, all misdemeanors, against the same woman, on three separate occasions.
Capt. Paul Toussaint said Chesley was arrested on June 17 after a female victim — whose identity is being withheld — came forward. She told police she was assaulted by Chesley on April 8, June 7 and June 11, according to Toussaint. Information from the Rochester Police Department is limited according to their domestic violence policies, he explained.
According to WMUR, Chesley allegedly pushed and grabbed the woman during these incident. He is expected to appear in court in September.
Toussaint said Chesley was released on personal recognizance bail on the day of his arrest.
New Durham Police Chief Shawn C. Bernier said his department is conducting its own internal investigation of Chesley, who works as a patrol officer, according to the New Durham town website, and who was off-duty at the time of these alleged occurrences. Bernier said the man has worked in his department for almost five years and will remain on leave until his department completes their investigation.
Bernier said his department's investigation will serve "to see if any policies had been violated within the department." He said he could not comment further as to what the investigation would entail or what violations may have occurred.
Asked if he had dealt with a matter like this before, Bernier said no, and added generally, there is no specific policy as to handle matters of this nature.
"It depends on the situation but pretty much, he's on leave status until the internal investigation is completed by the department," he said.
He noted it would be possible for the department to complete their investigation before Chesley's court appearance slated for the fall.
Bernier said because it is related to personnel records, he could not release where Chesley had worked before coming to New Durham. He said he had no specific comment on the development but stated, "I think (this) shows that nobody is above the law and everybody is held accountable."
Rochester Police Chief Michael Allen said his department will be diligent in their investigation.
"Obviously as evidenced by the arrest that was made, police officers are treated just the same as any citizen would be treated," Allen said. "We treat all members of the public with fairness. Police officers aren't above the law. They're held, in fact, in many cases, to a higher standard than an average citizen."