New Hampshire GOPer with assault conviction named as vice chair of criminal justice committee

A Republican state representative in New Hampshire with a history of assault has been placed on the House criminal justice committee.

According to the Associated Press, Rep. Frank Sapareto was selected as the vice chair of the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee by Republican House Speaker Shawn Jasper.

In 2013, Sapareto was given a deferred sentence of 30 days in jail for an assault on his then-girlfriend's son.

“My concern is that thousands and thousands of property taxpayers’ money is spent on these cases,” Sapareto said at the time. “That makes me angry as a taxpayer.”

Although Sapareto has previously co-sponsored legislation to have misdemeanor assault reclassified to a violation similar to speeding tickets, he has said that he will not reintroduce the bill in the next session. Sapareto pledged instead to reduce waste in the criminal justice system.

Speaker Jasper said that the assault charge slipped his mind when he offered the Criminal Justice post to Sapareto. But Jasper insisted that he must now honor his promise to the lawmaker.