Case against former Bristol police chief moves toward trial

NORTH HAVERHILL — The Grafton County Superior Court has confirmed that a dispositional hearing on charges against former Bristol Police Chief Michael Lewis has been set for Monday, Aug. 6, with a final pretrial hearing currently scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 31.

Lewis was arraigned last week on three felony counts of theft by deception, as well as misdemeanor charges of sexual and physical assault. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Bristol selectmen placed Lewis on paid administrative leave on Sept. 5, 2017, and he resigned a month later, on Oct. 4. The Grafton County Attorney’s Office confirmed in December that it was conducting an investigation, and a grand jury handed up the indictments on June 15.

The charges allege that, on three occasions — between July and December 2012, between January 2013 and December 2014, and between January 2016 and December 2017 — Lewis falsely claimed overtime hours on timesheets he submitted for payment, each of them in excess of $1,500. Town officials say the money came from New Hampshire Highway Safety Agency Police Detail grants.

Separate charges allege alternate crimes of sexual or physical assault stemming from an incident on or about Aug. 31, 2017. The charges allege that Lewis approached a woman from behind and placed his hands on her buttocks.

The dispositional hearing will determine whether the attorneys from both sides expect to be ready for trial this fall, and the pretrial hearing in October will determine whether a trial date can be set.