Robert Saulnier Trial Aug. 15th

[Kat Kanning]

 Robert Saulnier has been arrested for Trespassing on 22 Grenier Field Rd

June 29th 2005 - Londonderry, N.H. - Police arrested Robert Saulnier while he was peacefully protesting on the property. A court date has been scheduled for August 15th 2005.

More details will follow...
Supreme Court Judgment Against the Town of Londonderry

The N.H. Supreme Court has ruled that the Town of Londonderry is responsible for the clean-up at 22 Grenier Field Road and that the Town is neither a holder, nor a qualifying holder of the property. **** Click here **** to read the court's ruling.
My Story

Because of an escrow problem, I fell behind on my property taxes. The town started tax liens in the early 1990s. Because of the escrow money that would not be released by N.F.S. bank, I fell behind each year after these tax liens.

I would go to the town hall with a bank check in-hand for the amount of one year's property taxes. The Town manager at the time was Richard Plante. He would look at the check and say, "It's not enough," and then hand it back to me. In all, over the years, I tried to give the town approximately $28,000 in property tax money.

As I found out later, the town is bound by state law R.S.A. 80:71 regarding partial payments. It says that the town shall take partial payments and apply it to towards the outstanding tax debt. This is the first law among many that the Town has violated, without any regard to State or Federal regulations pertaining to tax deeding.

Each year at tax time they would send me a letter telling me that they were going to deed the property to themselves by a certain date if I didn't pay the whole tax bill. Every year I got the same typed letter, only with a different deeding date. On April 8, 1999 I got a letter just like I had been getting over these years, again I went to the town and tried to give them a bank check for $4,406.00, and they again said no.

Three years went by, and on April 8, 2002 I received a letter from the town telling me that they had deeded my property to themselves in 1999, and that if I came up with $96,000 within 30 days I could have the deed back. This $96,000 sum was grossly inflated due to penalty charges and the 18% interest rate applied to the debt. Had the Town accepted the partial payments that I attempted to give, far less money would have been owed on the property, and it never would have come to this..

Over that 30 day period I tried everything to make some kind of a arrangement with these property taxes. My contacts were, at that point, a new town manager, Dave Caron, and the finance director Susan Hickey. "Absolutely no deals," the town manager told me he wanted the property.

As I started looking through relevant state statutes applying to legal tax deeding, I soon found out that the town the court and its agents managed to break nearly every law in the book to literally steal this property.

Here is a partial list of laws and N.H. RSAs that these so-called "officers of the court" have (so far) gotten away with breaking:

    * RSA 80:71 (Regarding their obligation to accept partial payments)
    * RSA 80:21 (Regarding mandatory notice of sale)
    * RSA 80:29 (Regarding conduct of sale)
    * RSA 80:38 (Regarding tax deeding)
    * RSA 80:89 (Regarding right to re-purchase)

The Town of Londonderry is completely out of control. Something has to stop the tyranny in this County.

[Kat Kanning]

Here's an opportunity to support someone who's been beaten up (figuratively) by the government.

[GT]

This is a new tresspassing charge. It's been reported that the Town is planning on buiilding a new firestation on the property in 2006. What a coincidence...

[Dave Ridley]

I've sent an LTE to the union leader about this case which is posted to the LTE thread in "General Discussion"
But I didn't think to mention the court date or urge supporters to be there.  Anyone who can write an LTE detailing that?

[salty]

I am Robert Saulnier's daughter, and I truly appreciate the creation of this thread.

This entire ordeal has been a nightmare.? The only criminal record that he holds is as a result of 'trespassing' on the property that he owned for over twenty years, and the Town Manager actually had the nerve to hang up an enlarged copy of his driver's license outside of the Town Hall saying "If you see this person call emergency 9-1-1."? This sign was in a locked case for all to see.

Town officials have also claimed in Union Leader interviews that he hadn't paid penny in property taxes for over ten years, which is flatly untrue, given that they refused $28,000 in partial payments - we have copies of the bank checks...?

After having such difficulties with local lawyers, he has decided to go into the court date on August 15th pro se.? The paperwork / evidence against the town is overwhelming, given the amount of statutes that they have violated in the process of confiscating the property illegally.

We're in the process of revamping the website to add in scanned copies of all of the supporting paperwork.? More details will be posted on the site soon.

Thank you for the support!
Anne

[Dave Ridley]

Anne...very glad you are here.? Can you tell us when the next two meetings of the Londonderry town council are?? I understand they meet twice a week...and am thinking we could schedule a protest in support of you, for them to see on the way in, and for those driving by to see while the meeting is on.? ?If that is something you want...let us know what you would and wouldn't want us to do. Is the town manager the perpetrator-in-chief here or is it someone else?? ?What is his name?

We could probably get 5 or 10 people with signs and flags to a protest depending on how much notice there is.? Unless you guys have better ideas...? We may be able to set something up for aug 15 too though it could cause them to change the court date.

[KBCraig]

I am Robert Saulnier's daughter, and I truly appreciate the creation of this thread.

Anne, thank you!

I had heard no mention of your father until after one of our group staged her own tax protest. If nothing else, I hope we can bring the light of public scrutiny to your situation. Even better would be full restitution of what's been taken from your family. I don't know how you get the time back, nor the years the stress takes from your life, but hopefully we can at least get your land back, and compensation for the house.

Kevin

[Kat Kanning]

Welcome, Anne!

Let us know what we can do to help.  At the very least, we could protest outside the courhouse for his trial.

[salty]

Thank you?

I think that protesting outside of the Town meetings would be extremely beneficial.? At the last meeting my father had the mic long enough to state his case, so it would be an excellent follow up.? One of the members of the Town Council actually denied that the property was being considered as a location for the new firehouse (even after the big write up in the paper).? I'll find out from him when the next meetings are.?

The judge at his arraignment seemed to be very willing to hear the details of the case, so we're hoping that protesting outside of the courthouse will not be necessary for this go-around.? If the court date does not go well, then he will probably continue to protest near the property on Grenier Field Road.?

[GT]

Council meets every two weeks. I'll check the schedule.
Which Councilor is denied that they are considering putting the new firestation on Grenier?

[GT]

Next Council meeting is 7/21.

They will be touring the existing fire department facilities prior to the meeting.

[salty]

It was Brian Farmer that denied the 22 Grenier Field Road property was being considered.

[Dave Ridley]

salty is welcoming anyone who wants to show up and attend the trial in support of him, but not really wanting a protest because of the likelihood that could change the court date.  I plan to be there unless i hear of a date change.

Court date is 9 a.m. aug 15 monday at the Derry District Courthouse (10 Manning St).  I think that all of the sessions are scheduled for the same time, so I'm not sure what time it will be heard exactly.

[Michael Fisher]

salty is welcoming anyone who wants to show up and attend the trial in support of him, but not really wanting a protest because of the likelihood that could change the court date.? I plan to be there unless i hear of a date change.

Court date is 9 a.m. aug 15 monday at the Derry District Courthouse (10 Manning St).? I think that all of the sessions are scheduled for the same time, so I'm not sure what time it will be heard exactly.

I am SO THERE!!!   

[Michael Fisher]

Okay, I'll try to behave and not protest, but only because they specifically asked for it.