Constitutional Law

Union Leader agrees with KingCast: NH AG Kelly Ayotte never punishes LE who do wrong, drunkards and all.

By Christopher King

First, here's what KingCast said: NH AG office, including Kelly Ayotte and Jeff Strelzin, lets drunk, abusive, likely murdering and trigger-happy NH Police run amok.

A DWI scandal: Public confidence eroded

"By all appearances, a Hooksett police officer who flipped his Jeep Liberty three times, left the scene of the accident and later refused a field sobriety test should have lost his driver's license. He didn't. And that has a lot of Granite Staters understandably upset.

Officer Benjamin Beauchemin was arrested for DWI after his May 11 accident. He was supposed to receive an automatic six-month license suspension. But at his administrative hearing, the investigating state trooper did not show up. He said he had to be at another hearing in Portsmouth.

Beauchemin got off on a technicality -- the trooper's absence. He gets to keep his license, even though anyone who refuses a Breathalyzer test is supposed to be penalized by an automatic six-month suspension.

Both the Hooksett Police Department and the state Department of Safety are investigating. They need to understand how much this case has undermined public confidence in the legal system and state law enforcement. Anything less than an absolutely thorough and meticulously documented report from each agency -- with appropriate follow-up action -- will only confirm widespread suspicions that an officer was unjustly protected, even before his controversial acquittal."

Too bad they lack the sack to say that about what happened to Liko Kenney.

KingCast No Confidence Vote: House Rep. James Ryan.

Full post as published by Chris King's 1st Amendment Page on September 19, 2008 (boomark / email).