A Claremont man was sentenced Monday in Sullivan County Superior Court following a 2025 confrontation in Charlestown that ended when a police officer shot him after prosecutors say he advanced with a knife.
Sentence and convictions
The court imposed 2 to 6 months in N.H. State Prison and 12 months in the Sullivan County jail, with the county jail term suspended for three years, according to the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office. He also was ordered to pay about $500 in penalties and fines.
- Convicted of felony criminal threatening with a deadly weapon
- Convicted of misdemeanor failing to obey an officer
- Found in violation for driving an unregistered vehicle and reckless driving
How the incident unfolded
State prosecutors said the case began when a Charlestown police officer attempted to stop the driver for speeding in an unregistered vehicle. The driver led officers on a pursuit that reached speeds of about 90 mph on Claremont Road, prosecutors said. After abandoning the vehicle, he fled on foot while holding a knife, officials said.
Charlestown Police Officer Jacob Sands fired several rounds after the man moved toward him, striking the man in the stomach and arm, authorities said. The man spent several weeks in the hospital following the shooting.
Use of force review
The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office concluded the officer’s use of force was legally justified, the office said. Prosecutors charged the suspect with criminal threatening with a deadly weapon and other counts; the case was resolved by a guilty plea in Sullivan County Superior Court.
The sentencing marks the formal disposition of the case at the superior court level. No additional hearings were announced by prosecutors.
