Hilliard bows to pressure, resigns as county sheriff

NORTHFIELD — One month after being convicted of aggravated driving while intoxicated, Merrimack County Sheriff Scott Hilliard announced on Wednesday that he will be resigning, effective March 31.

Gov. Chris Sununu had called for the sheriff's resignation in the wake of Hilliard's Jan. 14 conviction. Because his is an elected position, the Merrimack County Commission had taken a hands-off stance, saying it was up to Hilliard and the voters to decide whether he should remain in office.

Late last week, as the deadline for filing an appeal or beginning a five-day sentence in the Belknap County House of Corrections approached, his attorney, Jared Bedrick, filed an appeal with the state Supreme Court.

First announcing his decision to resign in a Facebook post on Wednesday, Hilliard followed up with a press release that began by thanking “the countless people who have supported me and my family in some difficult times.”

In the press release, he said, “The decision to step down as your sheriff is not an easy one. I will finish serving on March 31, 2020 as the Merrimack County Sheriff. I wish to say THANK YOU for your support of the Sheriff's Office, the men and women here are very dedicated and hardworking and I am proud to have served as their leader.”

Nashua Circuit Court Judge James H. Leary had convicted Hilliard in the Aug. 9 incident after two days of hearings in which he ruled that Tilton police had erred in making the arrest, but that Hilliard had willingly agreed to the blood test that showed him to be three times over the legal limit for alcohol.

The defense had attempted to exclude the evidence of Hilliard’s intoxication because it had been collected after the unlawful arrest.

For his part, Hilliard had admitted that he has an alcohol problem and said he has been in weekly counseling since his arrest in the parking lot of the 99 Restaurant in Tilton.

In sentencing Hilliard to 17 days in jail with all but five days suspended, along with imposing a $930 fine, Leary commended him on seeking counseling, but said he wants to make sure Hilliard does not get back behind the wheel while intoxicated. The prosecution asked the judge to require an alcohol interlock device on his vehicle for 12 months, but Leary extended the requirement for 24 months.

The judge also found Hilliard guilty of transporting an alcoholic beverage and ordered him to pay an additional $500 fine.