Former Rochester city councilor pleads guilty to unauthorized use of police records
ROCHESTER − Former City Councilor Chris Rice pleaded guilty in Brentwood Circuit Court on Tuesday to charges that he misused police and Division of Motor Vehicle computer systems to seek information about three individuals, including a city councilor who was involved in his removal from the council.
Rice pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor counts of accessing police records without authorization and was fined a total of $2,257. The court fined Rice $744 for each charge, with a $25 administration fee attached. He has until Jan. 25, 2023 to pay the fine in full.
Three other misdemeanor charges, of the disclosure and misuse of DMV records, were not processed by the court.
Rice was arrested in October after allegedly using police data systems while working in the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office, to try to gain access to personal information about three people.
The people he allegedly researched included a female Rochester city councilor who Rice was found to have sexually harassed, leading to his dismissal from the council in May.
On Sept. 9, the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office requested that New Hampshire State Police conduct an investigation into Rice, employed as a civilian dispatcher for the sheriff's office. It had been alleged he used Rockingham County computer systems to access the State Police Online Telecommunication System (S.P.O.T.S.) information on three driver's licenses, without authorization.
Rice was removed from the Rochester City Council after a trial conducted by the council concluded he had sexually harassed one current councilor and another former city councilor, who said he repeatedly made comments about their bodies and appearance over many months, dating back to last year, despite being told to stop multiple times. The current councilor also told investigators hired by the city that Rice had intimidated her during a March meeting by telling her that he was armed with a gun.
At the time of Rice's arrest, Rochester Mayor Paul Callaghan, a veteran in law enforcement, said, "I have great respect for the justice system. I will watch to see how the case unfolds."
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This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Ex-Rochester, NH councilor guilty of unauthorized police records use
