LITTLETON, N.H. — The husband of the Democratic candidate for Grafton County sheriff and three other men face criminal charges in regard to the alleged harassment of a Lisbon, N.H., man in September.

James Myers III, of Lisbon, husband of Jill Myers, a Littleton police officer who is the Democratic candidate for county sheriff, has been charged with misdemeanor counts of harassment and disorderly conduct for his alleged involvement in a September incident that caused a Lisbon man to seek a restraining orders against the men.

On Tuesday, James Myers appeared in Littleton District Court for a hearing in a civil complaint brought by Robert Thomsen, who was seeking to have a temporary restraining order against Myers extended to 12 months. Judicial Referee Gerard Boyle said he would take the petition under advisement and issue a decision in due course.

James Myers was with three other Lisbon men — Matthew Shannon, Brandon Beane and Matthew Hubbard — who allegedly pulled up in a vehicle outside Thomsen’s house near midnight on Sept. 13. Thomsen alleged they gunned the engine, spun the tires, blared the horn, and shouted for him to come out of the house and fight them.

Thomsen, who has an extensive criminal history and is himself subject to a restraining order by one of his neighbors, said in court on Tuesday that the disturbance outside his home made him fear for his own safety and that of his family.

“I just want to be left alone,” Thomsen said when he was called to the stand, saying that he believed the harassment incident had its roots in two verbal altercations around Lisbon he had with Myers in the prior weeks.

Exiting the courtroom after the civil hearing, James Myers declined to comment and referred questions to his lawyer, veteran New Hampshire criminal defense attorney Leonard Harden.

“I know my client is upset by the complaint and charges and is looking forward to having both of those resolved appropriately in court,” Harden said.

Among the others, Matthew Shannon — who is Jill Myers’ brother-in-law — faces misdemeanor counts of criminal threatening, stalking, harassment and disorderly conduct; Matthew Hubbard is charged with harassment, disorderly conduct, stalking and negligent driving; and Brandon Beane is charged with disorderly conduct.

All the charges were brought by the Lisbon Police Department.

Myers is scheduled to be arraigned on Dec. 12, at which time Harden said his client intends to enter a not guilty plea.

During Tuesday’s civil case hearing to extend Thomsen’s temporary restraining order against Myers, Harden aggressively challenged Thomsen’s account of what happened on Sept. 13 and got Thomsen — who did not have an attorney at the hearing — to concede that Myers had not “approached” or “followed” him and instead “walked back” to the vehicle to undermine Thomsen’s contention that he was threatened by Myers’ behavior.

“I’m just a little spun in circles with the whole situation so I might have gotten different people mixed up,” Thomsen said following persistent and rapid-fire questioning by Harden.

Nonetheless, Thomsen said he didn’t believe the specific details of what each of the four men outside his house that night said or did is as important as the fact the group had targeted him for trouble.

“I just feel that them coming out there and doing that was not necessary,” Thomsen said, asserting that the misdemeanor harassment and disorderly conduct charges filed against Myers “show that Lisbon police know something.”

The criminal complaint charging harassment alleges that Myers “knowingly insulted, taunted or challenged” Thomsen “in a manner likely to provoke a violent or disorderly response, by getting out of the vehicle and yelling.” The complaint charging disorderly conduct alleges Myers “engaged in fighting or in violent, tumultuous or threatening behavior, in a public place … by standing in the roadway yelling at Robert Thomsen.”

Myers’ summons to appear in court that was served to him on Monday notes under the line for his signature that he “refused to sign” and is initialed by the Lisbon police officer who served the summons. The Myers’ house is located directly behind the Lisbon Police Department station.

Jill Myers did not respond to an email for comment on Tuesday afternoon, but her attorney, Kathleen Davidson, said via email that “as a law enforcement officer, it would be inappropriate for Jill to comment on an open case. This is true regardless of who it is regarding, but particularly here, where the matter is in regards to her family.”

Contact John Lippman at jlippman@vnews.com.