Sheriff Mark Brave's trial put on hold: No plea deal yet

DOVER — A trial for former Strafford County Sheriff Mark Brave , which had been scheduled to begin in early August, has been put on hold at the request of the state.

Brave, who was arrested last August, is accused of stealing approximately $19,000 in county funds by submitting personal expenses for reimbursement with "fraudulent justifications," and committing perjury by lying to a grand jury about an extramarital affair and his travel and entertainment expenditures related to it.

Jury selection previously set for Aug. 5, and a pretrial conference, have both been canceled by the court after a motion was submitted by the New Hampshire attorney general's staff.

Instead, the state asked for and was granted a status conference on the case with no date set. During a status conference, the state and Brave's attorney will clarify the anticipated time needed for a trial.

Michael Garrity, a spokesperson for the attorney general's office, said the delay in the trial is due to routine scheduling tasks.

Defense said no deal has been reached

Attorney Leif Becker, who represents Brave, said the state asked for the change in order to take a look at scheduling should there still be a trial.

Becker said no deal has been reached between the state and Brave's defense.

"There is still the opportunity for a case to be resolved at any point prior to a trial," Becker said. "Here, because a trial would involve many witnesses and much testimony the state wants to look at the court scheduling and possibly make adjustments considering the timing of a trial."

Brave's case had been ordered into criminal mediation after a plea deal offered by the state and counteroffer made by the defense were both rejected in March. The deadline to reach a new deal through mediation passed May 24, with the two sides again failing to reach a resolution . That led to the August trial date that is now indefinitely postponed.

The charges Brave faces, all felonies, are two counts of falsifying or destroying physical evidence, theft by deception, perjury (inconsistent material statements), and four counts of perjury (false statements under oath). According to Attorney General John Formella, Brave could receive 64-plus years in jail if convicted at trial.

Brave remains free on bail.

This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Sheriff Mark Brave's trial put on hold: No plea deal yet