Former Strafford County sheriff's jury trial scheduled to begin on Aug. 5

Former Strafford County Sheriff Mark Brave in booking photo taken at Troop A Barracks in Epping

BRENTWOOD - Former Strafford County sheriff Mark Brave's trial on eight felony counts will begin on Aug. 5 in Rockingham Superior Court.
The trial venue was moved from Strafford County to avoid any perception of conflict of interest.
The trial is going forward after a plea deal was unable to be reached between the sides.
Brave, now of Tewksbury, Mass., was indicted last year on eight felonies.
After an earlier failure to reach a plea deal stalled, the case was given over to criminal mediation, which is where a retired judge sits down with the two sides to try to resolve their differences.
Brave had a deadline of May 24 to respond, but failed to do so paving the way for a jury trial.
Brave, who was first elected in 2020 and re-elected in 2022, stands charged with one count of theft by deception (a class A felony) for stealing over $1,500 in Strafford County funds for credit-card reimbursements through deception; two counts of falsifying physical evidence (both class B felonies): one for submitting false reimbursement justifications, and one for altering a document submitted for reimbursement; and five counts of perjury (all class B felonies) for lying in his testimony before the Strafford County Grand Jury during the course of the investigation.
Class A felonies are punishable by up to 7½-to-15 years in state prison and a fine of up to $4,000. Class B felonies are punishable by up to 3½-to-7 years in state prison and a fine of up to $4,000.
Brave was previously arrested and charged on Aug. 17.
Brave resigned from his sheriff's position in December, prompting prosecutors to allow him to remain free on bail while awaiting trial.
Brave, a Democrat, is accused of stealing thousands of dollars from Strafford County by taking multiple trips to fictitious events, mostly for the purpose of romantic liaisons with multiple women. During these trips he racked up $19,000 of charges on his county-issued credit card.
A final pretrial conference is set for July 25.