Jan. 8—A former state trooper who was fired for lying about being a trustee of his elderly aunt’s trust where large amounts of money were being withdrawn will not be removed from a statewide list of police with credibility problems, the state’s highest court has ruled.
The unidentified trooper lied during an investigation by the Attorney General’s Office and in an internal State Police investigation, according to the ruling. State Police determined that responses during the 2015 interview were “deceptive and obstructive to the investigation” and the trooper was fired. He was also placed on the exculpatory evidence schedule, also called the “Laurie List.”
The Laurie List is a list of New Hampshire law enforcement officers whose past behavior may impact their credibility while testifying in court. The list was made public at the end of 2021, though some names were redacted.
The New Hampshire Personnel Appeals Board upheld the trooper’s termination and in March 2022 the trooper filed a lawsuit in superior court requesting declaratory judgment that “his name is not appropriate for inclusion on the EES” and to have it removed.
Judge John Kissinger dismissed the complaint, saying he did not have jurisdiction to review the appeals board findings.
In the appeal, the trooper says Kissinger failed “to properly review (his) alleged misconduct in light of the different standards by which the PAB and (Merrimack) Superior Court operate,” according to the ruling. He claims he did not deliberately lie to investigators.
The high court disagreed and sided with Kissinger.
“The trial court correctly determined that the plaintiff failed to demonstrate that the information in his personnel file does not contain potentially exculpatory evidence such that his name should be removed from the EES,” the ruling said.