When Kenney drove away from the initial traffic stop without the officer's consent, he arguably committed the misdemeanor offense of resisting arrest or detention. See N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 642:2 (criminalizing knowing or purposeful interference with a law enforcement officer seeking to effect an arrest or detention "regardless of whether there is a legal basis for the arrest"); see also State v. Fleury, 116 N.H. 577, 578-79 (1976) (defining detention as "other forms of seizures of the person falling short of a full-blown arrest," including a Terry stop). A reasonable officer in McKay's position would have perceived Kenney's decision to drive away prior to the conclusion of the traffic stop as a criminal act. Kenney's act of resisting detention thereby justified McKay's decision to pursue and detain him.
We have previously stated that, in the criminal context, RSA 642:2 applies to "other forms of seizures of the person falling short of a full-blown arrest." State v. Fleury, 116 N.H. 577, 578, 579 (1976); see also State v. Hutlon, 108 N.H. 279, 285-87 (1967). We address each question in turn.