Domestic Violence Charge Against New Hampshire Insurance Official Dropped

A domestic violence charge against New Hampshire’s deputy insurance commissioner has been dropped.

D.J. Bettencourt, who also was a former policy director for Gov. Chris Sununu, was arrested May 5 and accused of assault. The charge was dropped Tuesday.

In a statement, Bettencourt said the incident was not domestic violence, but rather an argument that escalated and a “terrible misunderstanding that spilled into the public arena.”

Bettencourt previously was a state representative and became House Majority Leader. He resigned in 2012 after admitting that he misrepresented the amount of work he performed for another lawmaker during a law school internship.