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Steven Endres, the Democratic nominee for Merrimack County attorney in 2026, was fired from his solicitor position after an outside investigation found that several women’s accounts of sexual jokes and workplace comments were credible. The investigation began with a text message about a legal secretary’s clothing and expanded into broader complaints about Endres’s conduct.
The published account, based on personnel records and a private investigation, distinguishes the investigator’s credibility findings from Endres’s denials. It does not establish that every disputed comment occurred, and the underlying investigative report, termination letter and 91-a records were not independently retrieved for this article.
What triggered the investigation
The inquiry started after Endres sent a text message commenting on a legal secretary’s attire. The former secretary shared the message with the woman mentioned in it. She told the office manager that the message made her uncomfortable, and the county’s human-resources process then gathered additional complaints about Endres’s workplace behavior.
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How the outside investigation was conducted
Sarah Freeman of DrummondWoodsum delivered a 50-page report after interviewing four legal secretaries, the office manager, a sexual-assault-response investigator, a facilities supervisor and Endres. Freeman evaluated 14 separate points involving witness accounts and allegations.
The report assessed credibility allegation by allegation rather than treating all claims alike. Freeman found several women’s testimony and concerns credible, while crediting Endres on some disputed matters, including the meaning of a “DTF” reference and an issue involving a pineapple sticker.
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Why the county attorney fired Endres
County Attorney Halvorsen reviewed Freeman’s report and terminated Endres. Halvorsen’s letter said the decision relied on “information presented to the investigator by witnesses who reported direct knowledge of your workplace conduct.” It continued: “I have determined that your conduct… is detrimental to the immediate and ongoing operation of the office of Merrimack County Attorney and is therefore conduct I cannot condone or tolerate.”
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsThat language describes an employment decision based on workplace conduct and the office’s ability to operate. It is not a criminal conviction or a judicial ruling on each allegation.
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What Endres disputes and acknowledges
Endres challenged the investigation’s process and disputed or denied several allegations. He said he received no warning, did not remember some comments and contested accounts concerning his personal cellphone number and text messages. He also argued that the county exceeded its authority in handling the matter.
In comments to Concord Patch, Endres said, “In a workplace, I expect everyone to be competent and do their respective job, regardless of gender or age.” He also said he had learned “a great deal” about boundaries, friendship, trust, how others view him and how he should interact with coworkers.
Key dates in the case
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Feb. 14, 2025 | A text message about a legal secretary’s attire prompted the complaint that led to the broader inquiry. |
| March 31, 2025 | Sarah Freeman delivered the 50-page DrummondWoodsum investigation report. |
| April 4, 2025 | County Attorney Halvorsen terminated Endres after reviewing the report. |
| Oct. 15, 2026 | Concord Patch published the account of the report and personnel records used in this story. |
What is documented about the 2026 county-attorney race
Endres is identified as the Democratic nominee for Merrimack County attorney. He is a longtime Republican from Bradford who changed parties after his firing. His opponent, Meghan Hagaman, is described in the published background check as having no investigations or disciplinary actions at the Merrimack County Attorney’s Office or the New Hampshire Department of Justice.
| Candidate | Documented employment and discipline history | Publicly reported workplace account |
|---|---|---|
| Steven Endres | Former solicitor in the Merrimack County Attorney’s Office; fired after the 2025 investigation. No record of an investigation or discipline was found from his earlier prosecutor’s-office employment in Concord. | Disputes or denies several allegations, questions the process and says the experience changed how he understands workplace boundaries and coworker interactions. |
| Meghan Hagaman | No investigations or disciplinary actions found in the Merrimack County Attorney’s Office or New Hampshire Department of Justice records checked for the published account. | The account supplies no comparable misconduct allegation or disciplinary finding involving Hagaman. |
The records support a clear distinction for voters: Endres’s firing followed an employer-commissioned investigation with credibility findings, while the published background check reported no comparable disciplinary investigations for Hagaman in the offices reviewed. That distinction does not independently resolve every factual dispute in Freeman’s report.
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What remains disputed or unavailable
- Disputed allegations: Endres contests several comments and recollections, including claims involving his phone number, texts and statements he says he does not recall.
- Credibility, not adjudication: Freeman credited some witnesses on particular points and Endres on others; the report’s conclusions are not a court judgment.
- Underlying records: The full investigative report, termination letter and underlying New Hampshire Right-to-Know (91-a) records were not independently retrieved for this account.
- Scope of employment history: The published checks address the Concord prosecutor’s office for Endres and the Merrimack County Attorney’s Office and New Hampshire Department of Justice for Hagaman; they should not be read as a guarantee that no other records exist elsewhere.
How to read the firing in the election
The central established sequence is that a complaint about a text message led to broader workplace interviews, an outside 50-page report, and Halvorsen’s decision to end Endres’s employment. The report found several women credible on multiple points but also accepted Endres’s account on some issues. Endres remains entitled to dispute the findings, and voters can weigh both the documented termination and his explanation of what happened.
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