BERLIN, N.H. (AP) – Coos County Sheriff Alan Tardif is resigning at the end of the year because he has taken a federal job.

Although Tardif was elected last month to a second two-year term, Tardif told the county legislative delegation he took a job the day before the election with the U.S. Postal Service and federal law bans him from holding office.

Tardif and the legislative delegation have had a stormy relationship over extra pay for extra work.

Doctor Bite

LANCASTER, N.H. (AP) – A 34-year-old Lancaster physician accused of biting off part of a man’s ear has pleaded innocent to four misdemeanor counts.

Stephen Regan is accused of second-degree assault, simple assault and two counts of criminal trespass from a Nov. 13 incident in Lancaster.

He is free on $5,000 bail. No trial date has been set.

Regan also faces a felony charge of second-degree assault in Coos County Superior Court and will be arraigned on Dec. 20.

The felony charge stems from the same incident in which Regan is accused of biting off part of Stephen Hammond’s ear in an altercation.