Small town police chief stripped of his duties after 20 years takes off his uniform and walks out into a snowstorm in just his underwear
- Richard Lee was stripped of his duties on Tuesday when the New Hampshire town of Croydon voted to eliminate the one-man police department
- He has been police chief in the small town of Croydon, which has a population of just 700 people, for 20 years
- Lee, who was at the meeting, was told to immediately turn in the key to his police cruiser, his guns and his uniform
- He stripped off his uniform and walked out into a snowstorm wearing only his underwear and boots
- Lee walked nearly a mile before his wife found him and picked him up
Richard Lee, who has been police chief in the small town of Croydon, New Hampshire for 20 years, was stripped of his duties on Tuesday
A small town police chief in New Hampshire stripped off his uniform and walked out into a snowstorm in just his underwear after finding out he was being fired from his one-man department.
Richard Lee became upset when the three members of his local selectboard in Croydon voted on Tuesday night to eliminate the one-man police department.
Lee has been police chief in the small town of Croydon, which has a population of just 700 people, for 20 years.
The selectboard voted to move to 100 percent coverage by the New Hampshire State Police.
Lee, who was at the meeting when the decision was made, was told to immediately turn in the key to his police cruiser, his guns and his uniform.
He went into an office he shared with town officials and started stripping off his clothes before the board chairman.
‘I gave them my uniform shirt. I gave them my turtleneck, I gave them my ballistic vest,’ he said.
‘I sat down in the chair, took off my boots, took off my pants, put those in the chair, and put my boots back on, and walked out the door.’
The police chief stripped off his uniform and walked out of the meeting at the town hall (above) on Tuesday night. He walked a mile in his underwear and boots before his wife found him
He didn’t have spare clothes or a ride home.
Lee walked nearly a mile towards his home before his wife found him and picked him up.
Lee said he didn’t want to face the possibility of being arrested if he left with his uniform or cruiser.
As he was taking off his clothes, Lee said the chairman told him he didn’t have to do that.
Lee, however, said those were the orders.
He said he is now discussing what happened with his attorney.
In addition to being the town’s only police officer, Lee is also its sole prosecutor as well.
The Chairman Russell Edwards and two other selectmen, Ian Underwood and Joseph Marko, have not commented about the incident.