Seabrook firefighter charged in alleged sexual assault
SEABROOK — A member of the Seabrook Fire Department is on unpaid leave after being indicted on two aggravated felonious sexual assault charges.
Firefighter Christopher Tilley, 40, of Seabrook, was indicted on the charges in the fall by a Rockingham County grand jury. An indictment is not an indication of guilt, it just means the grand jury found enough evidence to warrant a trial.
The indictments allege he had sexual intercourse with a woman in Seabrook without her consent. The indictments allege the assault took place between April 5 and April 9, 2022.
The charges Tilley faces state the victim indicated by “speech or conduct” that she did not freely consent.
Tilley waived the arraignment on the charges in November and pleaded not guilty. His trial is scheduled to take place in July.
Tilley has been with the Seabrook Fire Department since 2013, according to Town Manager Bill Manzi. A post by the Seabrook Fire Department on Facebook states he started as a call firefighter in 2010. He has been placed on unpaid leave, Manzi said.
Seabrook Police Chief Brett Walker said his department took an initial report of the alleged assault. He said they turned the case over to the Hampton Police Department after consulting the Rockingham County attorney’s office.
Tilley is being represented by attorney Charles Keefe, of Wilson, Bush & Keefe.
According to court documents, a dispositional conference was held Jan. 9, where state prosecutors made an offer to the defense to resolve the case.
Keefe did not make a counteroffer and requested a trial date be set, according to court documents.
In a previous motion, Keefe filed a motion with the court to preserve and produce all videos from Seabrook police’s investigation, including “bodyworn camera videos and interviews with the complaining witness.”