Concord Police Detective On Leave During Assault Investigation

CONCORD, NH — A Concord police detective has been placed on paid leave after an investigation of an assault allegation from October 2020.

Det. Bryan Croft was placed on leave last year pending a formal investigation of at least one incident — a strangulation allegation against the detective.

The incident appears to have become known to investigators after the New Hampshire Division for Children, Youth and Families became involved in family issues connected to Croft's first marriage. According to 6th Circuit District Court-Family Division documents, Croft's ex-wife filed an emergency motion for parental custody Tuesday after information surfaced from the division concerning an assault and subsequent activities that may have violated agreements between the couple from 2014 and 2018.

The emergency petition accused Croft of "an alleged domestic violence incident" that occurred at his Concord home, involving the "alleged choking" of a woman holding a baby. The incident occurred in front of a family member.

DCYF put a safety plan in place barring Croft from the family member until a police investigation was complete. However, as the holidays approached, the plan was modified.

DCYF, before Thanksgiving, altered the plan to allow for visitation at Croft's mother's home without his second wife, also a Concord police officer, being present, although no reason was given. A few weeks later, DCYF modified the plan to allow the second wife to be present with Croft and the family member as long as another adult was present and it was outside of the couple's home.

But two weeks later, Croft's ex-wife "observed the petitioner with a different woman (not his wife)" at a sporting event. She did not know who the third woman was but learned later that Croft and the family member had stayed at her house previously, according to the court document, which would be a violation of the agreement.

"When I confronted the petitioner regarding this overnight stay, the petitioner informed me that he was too drunk to drive and decided (they) would stay overnight at this woman's house," the court document stated. "He provided no other information about his current relationship situation. This was an observed change in behavior."

On Dec. 29, Croft's ex-wife contacted his second wife about the situation. She, the report said, "believed the petitioner was 'cheating' on her with a woman" who had previous drug and driving while intoxicated arrests, the petition stated.

The emergency petition requested a supervised party always be around Croft and the family member, that the third woman is not around them, and that he refrain from using alcohol or drugs during visitations.

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After an attempt to reach a compromise with him on Jan. 2 and Jan. 4, that Croft was "not willing to accept," the court document said, she grew more concerned and filed the emergency order.

A hearing is scheduled for Feb. 11.

The city of Concord rejected a right-to-know request by Patch for information about Croft, his wife, and the case, utilizing the internal personnel practices and privacy exemptions of state law.

Stefanie Breton, the city's public information officer, confirmed Croft was placed on paid leave Nov. 5. She also confirmed Croft's wife was also on paid leave as of Dec. 22. Breton said the department "does not conduct criminal investigations of its employees" and "those matters are referred to outside agencies."

Croft was hired by the Concord Police Department in December 2010 after a short stint with the Franklin Police Department. He was hired in Franklin in January 2009 along with two other officers who were the first officers hired in the city for several years after he earned a degree in business management, according to a press report at the time. Croft applied for the Franklin job after first applying for a job in Concord.

Croft grew up in Concord, residing with his family, including his father, David Croft, the newly elected sheriff of Merrimack County, in Penacook. He attended Bishop Brady High School and played sports, according to news archives.

After nearly two years in Franklin, he left to take a job in Concord and was subsequently sued by that city for about $10,000 — the cost of making up for his police training. Franklin officials said he was one year short on his contract fulfillment. He countered the city had violated labor standards by failing to pay him for overtime, according to a press report. According to Merrimack County Superior Court records, the case was either settled or dropped sometime in October or November 2011.

Croft earned around $76,000 with nearly $10,000 in overtime in 2019 and $3,700 in health points provided — the way the city accounts for health care costs. Records for 2020 were not available at post time.

In 2015 and 2017, the department commended him for work on cases as part of its annual award ceremonies. In one of the commendations, Croft along with another detective and other officers received commendations for their work on a home invasion and robbery case where the victims were duct-taped and threatened with weapons. In the second award, he and other detectives were honored for solving multiple burglary and theft cases in the city during the fall of 2016. He has regularly been involved in a lot of the city's grittier cases.

Croft and his wife purchased a condominium in June 2018, according to city assessing records, and were married in August 2019. She is originally from California.

Breton said the city had no policy prohibiting relationships between employees although all staff must comply with city policies concerning sexual harassment and nepotism.

According to the 6th Circuit District Court-Family Division, Croft, who now resides in Boscawen, filed for divorce on Tuesday.

A hearing will be held on Feb. 11.

Neither Croft nor his wife's attorney responded to requests for comment about the investigation at post time. City officials also chose not to comment about the case. Another law enforcement agency has also not responded to a right-to-know request from Patch about the case at post time.

Editor's note: This post was derived from information supplied by court documents and right-to-know requests and does not indicate a conviction. This link explains the removal request process for New Hampshire Patch police reports.

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