Not everyone who is arrested deserves to spend time in jail. People make mistakes, and judges throughout New Hampshire, including here in Derry, have some discretion when they believe that an individual does not need to be punished harshly for their actions. This is why a good criminal defense is crucial — it could spare a person from having to spend time in jail.
A bouncer at a pub here in New Hampshire was recently spared jail time by the court. The 39-year-old man was working on June 10, 2015 when police showed up at approximately 2:30 a.m. in response to a 911 call from a woman. He ran up to one of the patrol vehicles, and an officer asked the bouncer to back away from him.
Supposedly, the man became upset because the officers did not recognize him. Court records indicate that officers attempted to calm him down and tell him why they were at the Hampton pub. Officers claim that they feared for their safety and arrested the man. He was then accused of being combative with officers in a holding cell after he was booked. Officers claimed that he assaulted two of them there in the cell.
The bouncer, who lives in Massachusetts, ultimately entered into a plea bargain with prosecutors. He pleaded guilty to simple assault, was given time served (he was in jail for eight days) and was ordered to take be evaluated to determine whether he needed to attend anger management classes. Most individuals here in Derry and across the state who are facing criminal charges are not expected to have a good enough understanding of what their options are in order to negotiate deals with prosecutors on their own. This is just one reason why it is necessary to enlist the assistance of criminal defense counsel as soon as possible after an arrest.
Source: unionleader.com, “Bouncer gets suspended prison sentence in Hampton assault“, James A. Kimble, May 5, 2016
