A judge denied a permanent restraining order between Warner Town Administrator Kathleen Frenette and Selectman Alfred Hanson.
Judge Ryan Guptill denied the extended order and dismissed the case on Aug. 5, the date of the final hearing in Concord District Court.
Guptill stated in his final order that even if Frenette’s allegations were true, she only cited a single incident and not a “course of conduct” that would warrant relief.
Frenette, who has since been put on paid administrative leave by the selectboard, was granted a temporary restraining order on July 7. Hanson was prevented from coming within 300 feet of Frenette except when select board meetings took place. Even then, Hanson could not “communicate with, approach, or follow” Frenette or be alone with her, according to the order.
Frenette said in a court filing that Hanson assaulted her in June while he objected to cameras being installed in her office and two other areas in Warner Town Hall.
“He took hold of my right wrist and bent over to put his face close to mine,” Frenette wrote in her petition. “At that time, I smelled alcohol off his breath.”
The camera installation was related to disputes between her and administrative assistant Judy Newman-Rodgers, who filed a claim against Frenette because of a “hostile work environment, harassment, retaliation, and age discrimination.” That claim was unfounded by an independent investigator, according to Frenette’s petition.
Frenette and Hanson did not respond for comment.
On Aug. 1, Frenette was placed on paid administrative leave pending a criminal investigation. The select board went into a nonpublic session despite Frenette invoking her privilege to open the hearing about her to the public. The Merrimack County Sheriff’s Office has not responded to requests for comment about the nature of the investigation.