Strafford County Sheriff Mark Brave Resigns

Another twist in the case against Strafford County Sheriff Mark Brave comes as he submits his resignation in order to stay out of jail.

Brave has been free on administrative leave. Attorney General John Formella brought theft and perjury charges in August after declining to resign from office at the suggestion of the Strafford County Commissioners. The board cannot remove Brave from office because he is an elected official.

He was free on bail but was coming under criticism for not hiring a lawyer due to what he said was a lack of funds. Documents showed that he made a profit of $240,000 from the sale of his home and bought a 1968 Porsche roadster, according to WMUR coverage of the case.

An investigation was also underway as to where Brave was living. He told the court he was living in Dover and could only go to Massachusetts for events related to his daughters, who attend school in Tewksbury.  Since Brave is still Sheriff, he cannot live outside New Hampshire and still hold the office.

At a hearing to possibly revoke his bail, Brave's attorney submitted the letter, according to the Union Leader's coverage.

"At this time I feel it is in the best interest of Strafford County, my subordinates and the population we serve that I step aside while I address the allegations made against me," Brave wrote in the Tuesday letter obtained by Seacoast Current.

Brave wrote that he looked forward to "resolving my pending legal matter" and serving the county again in the future.

Chief Deputy Sheriff Joseph McGivern has been running the office while Brave was on leave.

Brave was both the youngest person and first African American to serve as sheriff in the state.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via X (Twitter) @DanAlexanderNH