Attorney General John Formella announces that Marc Bowlen (age 49) of Dover, New Hampshire, has been charged in the Nashua District Court with two Class B misdemeanor counts of Removal of Political Advertising, contrary to RSA 664:17.
The charges allege that Mr. Bowlen knowingly removed another person’s political signs from where the signs had been placed in Hudson, NH. See RSA 664:17 (“No person shall remove, deface, or knowingly destroy any political advertising which is placed on or affixed to public property or any private property except for removal by the owner of the property, persons authorized by the owner of the property, or a law enforcement officer removing improper advertising.”). These charges are related to a class A misdemeanor charge of Receiving Stolen Property that is currently pending against Mr. Bowlen in the Salem District Court.
Class B misdemeanor charges may be penalized by a fine of up to $1,200. Additionally, pursuant to Part I, Article 11 of the New Hampshire Constitution, anyone convicted of a willful violation of New Hampshire’s election laws shall lose the right to vote in this State.
The charges and allegations against Mr. Bowlen are merely accusations. Mr. Bowlen is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorneys General Brendan O’Donnell and Matthew Conley of the Election Law Unit. The investigation into this matter was conducted by Election Law Unit Investigator Cristina Ostrowski and the Salem Police Department.
Original source can be found here.