CONCORD — Republican state Rep. Jonathan Stone lost his job as a Claremont police officer in 2006 after investigators said he threatened to go on a “postal” shooting spree that included killing his police chief and raping the man’s wife.
Investigators said Stone made the violent threats within earshot of several police officers after he was suspended five days for a yearlong “inappropriate” personal relationship with a 15-year-old girl who went to Stevens High School.
“Stone’s conduct goes so far beyond what is expected of a professional police officer that only appropriate resolution is his removal from office,” wrote Claremont Police Detective Capt. Colby Casey, who has since died.
For years, Stone fought to keep the records of Claremont PD’s internal investigations secret.
Last month, the state Supreme Court ordered those files be released in response to Right-to-Know Law requests by the New Hampshire Union Leader, other media and the American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire.
Claremont Police Capt. Mark Chase, now retired, opened the investigation in February 2006 into Stone’s relationship with the girl, whose name was redacted from the records.
The two had a personal relationship for about a year, and it “progressed to the point where they call each other almost on a daily basis for hours at a time,” Chase wrote.
Stone and the girl denied they had a sexual relationship.
Stone said in an interview that the girl had told him she loved him, according to Chase.C
Stone and his attorney, Peter DeCato, have declined to comment.
House Speaker Sherman Packard, R-Londonderry, did not respond to an email seeking comment.
Stone, 50, a former Claremont city councilor, serves on the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee.
Committee Chairman Terry Roy, R-Deerfield, also did not respond to a request for comment.
House Democratic Leader Matt Wilhelm of Manchester said he has urged Packard to take Stone off the committee that deals with criminal law and first responder legislation.
“At minimum, Representative Stone must be immediately removed from the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee. Whether this behavior occurred last week, last year, or last decade, it is clearly beyond the pale for an elected official,” Wilhelm said in a statement.
“I have expressed my opinion to Speaker Packard, and I sincerely hope he takes immediate action to address this black eye on the New Hampshire House of Representatives.”
Sam Paisley, national press secretary for the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, said Stone will have to answer to voters for what she called “disturbing and extreme behavior.”
Other Democratic leaders condemned Republican candidate for governor Kelly Ayotte for accepting Stone’s endorsement in the midst of this controversy.
Ayotte’s campaign declined to comment. Stone’s name remains on the list of past and present elected officials backing Ayotte.
Threats against cops
An unidentified witness and friend of the girl told police that she had not seen the two of them “kissing or having any other physical contact, just flirting on the phone and in person,” Chase wrote.
Stone initially said they came into contact while he was investigating drug use at the high school.
In a later interview, Stone said he first met her while investigating a prowling incident.
During the investigation, Chase said he told Stone to end all contact with the girl, but Stone admitted violating that order by speaking to her twice after that point.
In this and other investigations of his conduct, Stone refused to turn over his cellphone records.
A few weeks after Stone was disciplined for the relationship, Chief Alex Scott and Chase received reports from several colleagues that Stone had been threatening deadly violence against them both.
Detective Capt. Casey spoke to a dozen officers, many of whom shared specific and similar details about the threats.
Then-Detective John Simonds, now Sullivan County’s sheriff, said he heard Stone make numerous threats.
“I recall Jon saying he was going to go to the Chief’s house and rape the Chief’s wife, and kids, and shoot the Chief,” Simonds said, according to Casey’s report.
Several officers said they feared Stone would get violent.
“If he gets fired, people are afraid he will go postal,” then-Claremont Detective Jesse Vezina told Casey, according to 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.
“I have stayed up late with a loaded shotgun keeping an extra ear out for cars and have played it out in my head over a 100 times,” Vezina said, according to the report.
Several officers said Stone played with a silencer and made gestures that he would use it to shoot fellow officers, but he told friends on the force that he would give them notice so they wouldn’t be at the station when he came to carry out his threat.
During interviews with Casey, Stone denied he made specific threats against the chief or Chase.
Failed polygraph test
Chief Scott ordered Stone to submit to a polygraph test. During that exam, Stone “recalled making comments about shooting the chief and Captain Chase,” Casey wrote in his report.
Stone continued to deny that he had threatened to tie up Scott and make him watch as he raped Scott’s wife.
Chase said Stone failed the polygraph test.
“Stone did not deny saying the things and did not report the others interviewed were lying — he just simply avoided answering the questions directly by using selective memory,” Casey wrote in his report.
Stone appealed his termination as a police officer through mediation. Lawyers for Stone, the police agency and the city came to an agreement.
Stone agreed to leave his position and give up his certification as a police officer in exchange for the department purging his personnel file of the internal affairs reports.
The police agency kept copies of the report in its records, and ultimately the Supreme Court agreed with a lower court judge that changes in the state’s Right-to-Know Law made the records subject to disclosure.
