Rep's Wife Receives Summons for Handicapped Parking Violation

CONCORD, NH - The wife of a state representative has been issued a summons after a citizen caught an alleged parking violation on camera and posted a note on Gov. Maggie Hassan’s Facebook page in late January.

Judith A. Hess, 72, of Pine Street in Hooksett, received the summons at 12:05 p.m. on Feb. 4, 2016, for a handicapped parking violation.

Editor’s note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Concord Police Department. It does not indicate a conviction. Click this link to find out how to get a name removed from a New Hampshire Patch police report.

On Jan. 29, 2016, a shopper and caretaker of a disabled spouse reportedly saw a minivan with a New Hampshire lawmaker license plate park partially in a handicapped parking space in the Capitol Shopping Center parking lot on Storrs Street.

When speaking with the driver, they alleged that the driver brushed the sloppy parking job aside, reportedly stating that they would only be in the store for a few minutes. After the driver left the area, a picture was taken of the minivan.

The next day, Lynne Emerson wrote Hassan a note on Facebook requesting information about the state representative.

“As a disabled person who relies on access to handicap parking spaces, I am appalled by the inconsiderate behavior depicted,” Emerson wrote. “May we please identify the State Rep who belongs to this vehicle and license plate?”

The post was shared more than 800 times and was sent to both media outlets, including Concord NH Patch, and advocates for the handicapped community, as everyone attempted to find out the name of the rep. The plate, it was revealed later, belonged to state Rep. David Hess, R-Hooksett.

Rep. Hess did not respond to an email from Patch on Jan. 31, 2016, requesting comment but he did speak to Kevin Landrigan at NH 1 News and blamed the incident on his wife, according to a post on NH1News.com.

According to the summons, Concord Police called Judith Hess about the violation and she reported to the police headquarters on Green Street last week, and was given the summons violation paperwork. No court date was assigned, according to the report. The officer explained to her that she had the option of paying the fine or contesting the charge in court.

The fine is $310, according to Concord Police.