By PAT GROSSMITH
New Hampshire Union Leader
Nearly 200 citizens have signed a petition urging selectmen not to hire a retired Hillsborough County deputy, who was accused of assaulting his wife, as the town's police chief.
The petition, signed by 183 residents, states:
"We the undersigned citizens of Salisbury urge the Selectmen not to hire Frank Jones as Chief of Police of Salisbury. If Mr. Jones has been sworn in as Chief we ask that you terminate his employment and begin a search for an appropriate candidate."
Former selectman Ken Ross-Raymond dropped off the petition this morning to town officials. He said the 183 signatures represent about 95 percent of those asked to sign the petition.
Messages left by UnionLeader.com for Jones and town selectmen concerning the petition were not immediately returned.
Jones, 49, of Bow, who has been in law enforcement for 26 years, was offered the job on July 23, pending a background check and other conditions.
The next day he was arrested in Meredith on a simple assault charge accusing him of grabbing his wife's arm. A judge dismissed the charge last week.
The dismissal came after Priscilla Jones gave police a "revised" statement in which she denied her husband assaulted her and maintained her son called police to get even with Jones who, years earlier, made a 911 call that ended with the son's arrest in Bow. The son was never convicted.
Jones was not among the original police chief candidates interviewed by selectmen and a committee. He submitted an application before the deadline and was interviewed separately.
The committee recommended the town hire part-time officer Daniel Ball, who is also a full-time officer with the Boscawen Police Department. Selectmen instead offered Jones the job.
UnionLeader.com filed a Right-To-Know request with the Merrimack County Sheriff's Office for documents related to the selection of the police chief. The matter was referred to the Merrimack County Attorney's Office which released about 30 documents.
Among them was an April 16, 2008 letter Capt. Craig Saltmarsh of the Merrimack County Sheriff's Department sent to selectmen. In it, Ball was recommended as the top pick for police chief.
No letter of recommendation regarding Jones is among documents released by the county attorney.
Margaret I. Warren, administrative assistant to the selectman, sent a letter dated July 3 to Saltmarsh indicating town officials marked his July 2 letter concerning the "chief of police background investigation" as "confidential for our files."
A second letter to Saltmarsh dated July 22 informed him that a report from Merrimack County Deputy Paul Montray on the background investigation of Jones was also marked confidential.
Warren's letters requested Saltmarsh mark his file copies of both pieces of correspondence as confidential as well.
Last week, selectmen said they would be meeting with town counsel before making any decision on the job offer to Jones.
Posted by Pebi Services President Tyra Hearns
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