Merrimack County's Sheriff Charged With Drunken Driving: Report

TILTON, NH — The county's top law enforcement officer has been arrested on a drunken driving charge, according to WMUR-TV. Scott Hilliard, the sheriff for Merrimack County, was arrested on Friday on an aggravated driving while intoxicated charge in the parking lot of the Ninety-Nine Restaurant in Tilton. According to the report, a tipster called police after seeing a vehicle "driving erratically" on Route 3.

The caller followed the vehicle to the restaurant and police arrived a short time later. Police arrested Hilliard, he was released on bail, and will be arraigned at a future date. He was not working at the time of the arrest, the report stated.

In a statement, according to the Associated Press, Hilliard's attorney, Jared Bedrick, a criminal defense attorney with Douglas, Leonard & Garvey, PC in Concord, stated that "critical evidence remains unanalyzed" in the case but refused further comment.

Hilliard, a Republican, has been working in law enforcement for nearly four decades and has been sheriff of the county for 13 years. Earlier this year, the Concord City and Merrimack County GOP committees recognized him for his long service in law enforcement and his leadership in protecting victims' rights, combating drug abuse, and his work with juvenile diversion programs.

Editor's note: This post was derived from media reports and does not indicate a conviction. This link explains the removal request process for New Hampshire Patch police reports.

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