Fired Dover officer R.J. Letendre allowed access to guns for work

DOVER – Former Dover police officer Ronald “R.J.” Letendre will be allowed to possess guns while free on bail on a felony charge if it is part of his job duties.

Superior Court Judge Mark E. Howard issued a bail order for Letendre stating he cannot possess a firearm or ammunition, with the work exception, according to a copy of the order issued Monday.

"The firearms prohibition … does not apply to firearms possession during and in the course of employment and only as necessary to fulfill the duties of his employment,” Howard stated in the order.

Dover Police Chief William Breault terminated Letendre in August after an internal investigation into the former officer’s conduct. Breault stated at the time he fired Letendre “due to multiple violations of departmental policy.”

Police launched the investigation after Sarah Letendre, 35, received an outpouring of support on social media following a domestic incident between her and her estranged husband at their Rollinsford home July 10.

Rollinsford police arrested Sarah Letendre at the time and charged her with simple assault and other charges. Those charges have since been dropped.

Sarah Letendre and her family have said R.J. Letendre, who is also a former mixed martial arts fighter, was the aggressor in the incident, during which she suffered multiple fractured ribs. He has not been charged in connection with that incident.

A Strafford grand jury in October indicted R.J. Letendre on a felony charge of falsifying physical evidence.

The indictment returned by the grand jury states Letendre, on Sept. 16, 2016, investigated the delivery of controlled drugs to 21 Oak Hill Drive in Dover.

“In the course of that investigation, he did remove a portion of the seized controlled drugs before entering the seized controlled drugs into evidence at the Dover Police Department,” according to the indictment.

That felony charge is the focus of the bail order issued by Edwards.

Letendre’s attorney, public defender Carl Swenson, pushed for the former officer to have access to guns while out on bail.

More:Fired Dover cop seeks access to guns while on bail

He argued “there is a constitutional right to a firearm” and Letendre should not be prevented from having access to one “merely because of an accusation of a felony-level offense.”

But Strafford County Attorney Thomas Velardi maintained it is a standard bail provision for defendants charged with a felony to be prohibited from having access to guns or ammunition.

He told Howard he couldn’t think of another defendant facing a felony charge out of Strafford County Superior Court “who has been able to have access to a firearm.”

Howard also ordered Letendre to “arrange for booking or processing by the Dover Police Department on or before Dec. 30.”

Velardi had asked Howard for such an order during a telephone conference earlier this month.

Swenson said he didn’t see any reason why that was necessary.

Velardi said, “Frankly, the alternative of that is to charge him with some of the misdemeanor crimes that he could be charged with and have him arrested.”

Letendre was released on personal recognizance bail and was also ordered not to consume an excessive amount of alcohol or use controlled drugs, according to the bail order.