Strafford County Sheriff Mark Brave faces day in court, hopes to 'rehire' attorneys
BRENTWOOD — Mark Brave, who is on paid leave from his elected role as Strafford County sheriff while facing eight felony charges, is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday.
It will be held in Rockingham County Superior Court in Brentwood and is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. The case has been moved out of Strafford County to avoid the appearance of conflict, prosecutors have said.
Brave doesn't currently have an attorney listed in court documents. He was previously represented by Shaheen and Gordon of Dover.
He said Monday he plans to be in court for the arraignment. He has the option to waive the proceeding, which would result in the court setting a trial date.
"I plan to rehire Shaheen and Gordon on Friday, following the final closing on the sale of my house," Brave said. "I have a call in to them and am hoping they will represent me on Thursday, and I can settle up with them on Friday after the sale has been finalized and I have funds wired."
Brave was arrested in August following an investigation spanning a year. The New Hampshire attorney general's office alleges Brave used $19,000 in county funds to travel and carry on multiple extramarital affairs, going to Florida, Boston and other locations, staying in hotels and eating in restaurants.
More: Investigation details Sheriff Mark Brave's alleged lies about affairs, hotels and trips
The felony charges include one count of theft by deception (a Class A felony). He also faces two counts of falsifying physical evidence (both Class B felonies) and five counts of perjury (Class B felonies) for lying to a Strafford County grand jury during the investigation that first became public in June.
The investigation spans May 2022 through May 2023. It alleges misuse of funds for airfare, hotels, meals and a cruise. In many cases, Brave allegedly listed the expenses for conferences through agencies that do not exist, including a fictitious New England Sheriffs' Association. He also cited a trip to meet in Washington with Congressman Chris Pappas, D-New Hampshire, a meeting allegedly never scheduled.
The allegations state some of the trips to Boston coincided with nights the Boston Celtics were playing, and Brave had Celtics season tickets, according to one of his deputies.
More: Strafford County's acting sheriff looks to rebuild after Brave's exit
Brave's expenses were first brought to the attention of the attorney general in April by Strafford County commissioners after the sheriff's trip to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in August 2022, where his expenses were listed as $1,615.04 and included first-class airfare and an oceanfront hotel.
Brave, in multiple recent interviews, denied all allegations against him and stated they are a political and racist attack on him. Brave, reelected in 2022 to a second term, is a Democrat and the state's first Black sheriff. All of the Strafford County commissioners are also Democrats.
This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Strafford County Sheriff Mark Brave faces day in court in Brentwood
