Former New Hampshire police chief faces sex assault charges

KEENE, N.H. – A former part-time police chief in southwestern New Hampshire who was once suspected of murder has now been charged with sexually assaulting a minor.

Robert Chambers, 64, of Swanzey has been indicted on seven counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault, state police said Tuesday. He’s accused of abusing the underage victim between 1994 and 2000.

Chambers was the part-time police chief in Marlow and neighbouring Gilsum in 1988 when the remains of his drinking buddy Russell Bean were dug up in his front yard. He was charged with second-degree murder and then freed when a grand jury refused to indict him.

Bean had disappeared in 1978. His wife later divorced him, and by 1989, she was married to Chambers.

In court documents, Chambers’ sister, Melissa Chambers, described what led to the arrest. She told police her father helped her brother bury the body after Chambers told him he had accidentally killed Bean in a fight. She said her father told her not to say anything until after his death.

It’s unclear whether Chambers has an attorney. He was arrested Tuesday on the sexual assault charges and was due in court Wednesday.