GOP NH State Rep. Charged With Sexual Assault

BRENTWOOD, NH — The Rockingham County Attorney’s Office has announced that three charges have been filed against a New Hampshire state representative after an alleged incident against a girl last year, according to a statement. Eric Schleien, 29, of Hudson, has been charged with a single misdemeanor count of sexual assault and two misdemeanor counts of simple assault. The charges stem, according to Patricia Conway, the Rockingham County Attorney, from an alleged incident in July 2016, against a 16-year-old girl.

Editor’s Note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Rockingham County Attorney. It does not indicate a conviction. This link explains the name removal request process for NH Patch police reports.

“(The) Portsmouth Police Department conducted the investigation on the case and the Rockingham County Attorney’s Office will prosecute the offense in Rockingham County Superior Court,” Conway, a Republican, noted in a press statement.

An arraignment date has not been set. Specifics of the case have not been released and Portsmouth Police did not issue a press release about the case before Conway’s statement.

According to state statute, misdemeanor sexual assault is defined as “the intentional touching of the person's sexual or intimate parts, including genitalia, anus, breasts, and buttocks, where such contact, or the causing of such contact, can reasonably be construed as being for the purpose of sexual arousal or gratification of the person in the position of authority, or the humiliation of the person being touched.”

Schleien is the CEO of Eisco Value Partners, a wealth investment company. He is in his second term in the House, representing Hudson and Pelham. Schleien serves on the Resources, Recreation and Development committee, according to his General Court profile, which appears to have been scrubbed, with his address and phone number removed. His political Twitter account has also been deleted.

Politically, Schleien is often on the side of liberty Republicans, according to past statements online. Back in 2015, as noted by ThinkProgress.org, he sponsored a bill to ban conversion therapy for gay and lesbian minors, a position supported by Democrats, calling the process of forcing minors into such treatment “abusive and fraudulent.”

House Speaker Shawn Jasper, who is also a Hudson Republican, said he found the charges “disturbing” but added that officials should not be rushing to judgement until the investigation was complete.

“Anytime one of our members faces charges such as these we take it very seriously,” he stated. “Obviously if the charges are proven true, I would expect the representative from Hudson to resign from the House immediately.”

The New Hampshire Democratic Party pounced on the report of the charges noting that Schleien voted against a ban on child marriage. Former party chairwoman, Kathy Sullivan, called on him to resign.

"We assume the governor and the New Hampshire Republican Party will set the right example by condemning Rep Schleien’s actions and demanding his resignation as well," she noted. "The drumbeat of Republicans who are forced to resign from year to year for their bad behavior is becoming a disturbing trend. It's hard to ignore the signals in the Republican Party that led Schleien to believe his actions were acceptable. Schleien joined a Republican majority in voting against a ban of child marriage, instead choosing to keep the age at 13. 86 Republicans voted to allow ignorance as a defense for soliciting underage prostitutes.The 30 votes against a bipartisan rape shield bill to protect sexual assault victims were all Republican. We all agree that sexual assault should not be tolerated in this state. The governor should wield the full strength of his office to make certain that is a reality."