State police drop assault charge against Seabrook selectman
SEABROOK — Prosecutors have dropped a simple assault charge filed against Seabrook Selectman Srinivasan “Ravi” Ravikumar in connection with the Sept. 25 altercation between him and Selectwoman Theresa Kyle at Town Hall.
New Hampshire State Police Lt. Joseph Ronchi announced Monday the warrant for Ravikumar's arrest has been vacated.
"The investigation has been reviewed by Department of Safety prosecutors and it has been determined that there is not enough evidence available to secure a conviction for any alleged offense," Ronchi stated.
State police issued a warrant for Ravikumar on the Class B misdemeanor charge on Dec. 4 after what police described as an extensive investigation into what transpired between the two officials.
Kyle alleged Ravikumar poked her in the face with his finger during a heated argument during a nonpublic session. Ravikumar, in turn, claimed Kyle tried to strike him and made a racist remark, telling him to go back to where he came from. Ravikumar was born in India. Kyle has claimed she was referring to Andover, Massachusetts, where Ravikumar lived before moving to Seabrook, and not India.
Previous story: Seabrook selectman to be charged with assaulting fellow board member
State police undertook the case at the request of Seabrook police to avoid any possible appearance of conflict of interest, according to Seabrook Police Chief Brett Walker.
State police confirmed they were filing a simple assault charge against Ravikumar on Dec. 5.
At the time, Ronchi said the trooper who conducted the investigation did a thorough job, taking steps to interview all parties, including a number of witnesses. The results led to the state police applying for the warrant, which was granted Dec. 4.
Ronchi said at the time that Ravikumar’s attorney had been informed of the warrant, and state police were awaiting a mutually agreeable time when Ravikumar would surrender himself voluntarily at a site other than the Seabrook Police Department.
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When the warrant was first issued, neither Ravikumar nor Kyle commented on the situation.
Reached Monday, Ravikumar declined to comment.
State police prosecutors did not return calls seeking comment on the decision to vacate the warrant.
“The decisions in this case were made solely by the assigned state police prosecutor weighing the evidence,” said Tyler Dumont, spokesman for the NH Department of Safety Office of the Commissioner.
The news of the argument and alleged assault between the two Select Board members spread across the town after it occurred on Sept. 25 at Town Hall. It came after the Board of Selectmen had recessed into a nonpublic meeting from a collective bargaining session with one of the town’s employee unions.
Kyle called the police to report the incident, alleging Ravikumar assaulted her, filing the complaint that initiated the investigation.
Since then, relations between the two have been tense, sometimes erupting into angry words during subsequent Board of Selectmen meetings.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: NH state police drop assault charge against Seabrook selectman
