AG files civil rights charges against Manchester man accused of terrorizing property manager

May 14—The Attorney General has filed civil rights charges against a Manchester man who allegedly shouted "racial and misogynistic slurs" at the property manager of his West Side apartment building after she left him a note asking him to move his truck, court documents show.

Attorney General John M. Formella said Tuesday his department's Civil Rights Unit initiated an enforcement action against Christopher Rounds, 46, of Manchester, alleging five violations of the New Hampshire Civil Rights Act.

The civil complaint alleges that around 10 a.m. June 9, 2023, a woman identified in court documents as J.C., who prosecutors say is of Hispanic descent, arrived at an apartment building at 374 Amory St. in Manchester, where she is employed as the property manager. J.C. told officials when she arrived she saw an unfamiliar black pickup truck parked in the building's driveway "so that its bed was in the road, which created a safety hazard," court documents state.

J.C. said she didn't know who owned the truck, and left a note on the windshield asking the owner to move it.

Court documents allege Rounds approached J.C. and demanded to know who she was and why she left a note on his truck. J.C. identified herself as the property manager, and Rounds allegedly began shouting racial and misogynistic insults, court documents allege.

J.C. retreated to her own car but Rounds allegedly followed, continuing to yell insults and threats at her while banging on the hood of her car, the car's window and the car's roof while screaming, court documents allege.

After several minutes, Rounds got into his truck and drove away, with J.C. remaining at the property to oversee maintenance being performed.

About 40 minutes later, as J.C. was preparing to leave, Rounds allegedly returned and resumed shouting racial and misogynistic slurs at her, court documents say.

Hearing the commotion, tenants gathered outside, including one — identified in court paperwork as a Black man with the initials C.M. — who placed himself between J.C. and Rounds to protect her.

"Defendant turned his attention to C.M. and began calling C.M. racial slurs and insults and other offensive comments," court documents allege. "Defendant also implied that C.M. and J.C. were romantically involved."

While C.M. tried to calm Rounds down, J.C. escaped to her car, and when C.M. tried to leave, Rounds allegedly pushed C.M. as he walked away and a fight ensued.

When the fight ended, Rounds allegedly again threatened and insulted J.C. and C.M. before J.C. allegedly heard him say that he "was going to get his gun."

Manchester police responded, and with officers on scene allegedly came back outside and resumed calling C.M. and J.C. slurs "despite being ordered to stop," court documents state.

Rounds was arrested on three counts of criminal threatening and one count of disorderly conduct.

The civil complaint alleges that Rounds's conduct constituted three separate threats of unlawful force or violence designed to coerce or terrorize the alleged victims, by placing the victims in fear of harm, and two separate acts of using physical force or violence.

The civil complaint also alleges that Rounds was motivated by the alleged victims' actual or perceived race, national origin, and/or sex when he engaged in this conduct and that his conduct interfered with the victims' otherwise lawful activities.

Each violation of the Civil Rights Act allows for a maximum civil penalty of $5,000. Violations of the Civil Rights Act also empower the court to restrain the defendant from committing future violations of the Civil Rights Act and other hate-motivated conduct for three years.

Prosecutors have asked the court to issue a preliminary restraining order protecting the victims and the public from Rounds.