Files related to an internal affairs investigation into New Hampshire Republican state Rep. Jonathan Stone, a former cop, have been released, revealing that his former coworkers were disturbed by some of his behavior and his allegedly violent rhetoric.
For a relatively small state, New Hampshire has a rather sizable state House with 400 total seats, three of which are vacant. Republicans currently hold a thin 201-194 majority over Democrats plus two Independents.
Stone represents District 8, comprising Claremont and eight other communities in a southwestern area of the state. He was first elected in 2020 and sits on the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, a seemingly natural fit for a former member of law enforcement and the co-owner of a Claremont gun range called Black Op Arms.
For most of Stone’s tenure in office, the public knew little about his record with the Claremont Police Department. But last month, the state supreme court ruled that reports related to an internal affairs investigation into Stone in 2006 must be released.
The reports can be subdivided into two categories: his allegedly violent comments to CPD coworkers and his connection with a then-16-year-old girl.
In an investigation into the first issue, investigators spoke with 18 individuals, 15 of whom worked for the department. The claims of many of those individuals paint a dark picture of Stone’s thoughts and impulses.
According to statements included in the reports, Stone allegedly threatened to:
- shoot up the department,
- force then-Chief Alex Scott to watch as he raped Scott’s wife, and
- murder Chief Scott and perhaps harm other members of his family.
There are also reports that Stone attached a silencer to his weapon in a menacing manner on multiple occasions and that he had violated orders not to have contact with witnesses involved in the investigation.
“If he gets fired, people are afraid he will go postal,” one detective claimed in the report. “He makes me nervous as far as after a confrontation with him, he may try to do something to my wife or family. Generally people think he is crazy and wonder why he is a police officer.”
Another claimed that Stone’s mental stability was “a day to day thing.”
When questioned, Stone admitted to finding the chief’s wife attractive and to making heated remarks to others in a fit of anger. However, he otherwise seemed to dodge many pointed questions about particular threats, often replying, “I don’t recall that,” or, “Not that I recall.” One investigator surmised at the time that Stone’s specific answers in some cases and vagueness in others demonstrated a classic case of “selective memory.”
As to the girl Stone met when she was 15, Stone claimed the two had struck up a friendship, though he acknowledged that she likely had “a crush on him.” According to the reports, Stone frequently spoke with the girl on the phone, sometimes for more than an hour, and was seen with her both when he was on and off duty.
The girl, whose name is redacted in the reports, told investigators at the time that she and Stone planned to drive up to Canada when she turned 18 so that they could go to a bar together. They’d also reportedly made similar plans to hang out in the States when she turned 21.
Both the girl and Stone denied having a sexual relationship, though one witness claimed the two had discussed perhaps engaging in sex once she turned 17. The reports also indicate that the girl confided in Stone about her sex life and her previous romantic relationships.
Stone was fired in March 2006 as a result of the investigation, but he then partnered with his police union, which negotiated a much more favorable separation agreement. In exchange for Stone resigning from the force and his cop certification, the department and city agreed to remove the internal affairs investigation from his personnel file. The department did retain copies of the reports.
Former Chief Scott, who retired from the department in 2017 and now practices law in Claremont, told Valley News: “The documents speak for themselves. I really have nothing to add.”
“This is something that happened 18 years ago,” he also said.
Stone did not respond to a request for comment from InDepthNH.org, and his attorney declined to give one.
Blaze News reached out to Stone’s House colleague Republican state Rep. Mike Belcher, who said he is “shocked by the nature of the allegations.”
“Though I don’t yet know the truth of the matter, I hope for all involved it’s not correct.”
Belcher also expressed disappointment that cops sometimes receive preferential treatment. He claimed he’s learned of “multiple” instances “of indecent behavior of law enforcement officers being afforded official and unofficial cover.”
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