Bow News : crime

Bow wants its trail signs back

Bow Editor — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 01:03:00 GMT

Bow police are looking for any tips from residents with information about three signs that were stolen from the Town Forest.

The signs were noticed missing on Saturday, Oct. 11, one week after they had been installed by the Bow Pioneers Snowmobile Club.

On Oct. 4, club members placed three large wooden signs at the three major trail junctions in the woods, and soon after, the one placed at Trail Junction 15 was discovered missing.

Several days after the first sign was found missing, police discovered that two others had been taken as well.

Only one sign was recovered, as it was found nearby in the river. Pioneers group members re-cemented the sign into the ground, and it is now back in its original location.

“We have no clue or no idea. We don’t know why they would go out of their way to make the beautiful posts disappear,” said Ray Cote, a member of the Bow Pioneers.

Bow Police Officer Justin Sargent said the sign was likely stolen close to the day it was placed in the ground.

“It was lifted out of cement, and the cement hasn’t even dried, so it had to have been pretty quick after they were working on it,” said Sargent.

The brown signs are about 5 feet tall, made out of wood with yellow lettering.

Members of the Bow Pioneers Club are offering a $100 reward for tips leading to the person or person who stole the signs, and the return of the signs in any condition.

Anyone with information may call the Concord Regional Crimeline, anonymously, at 226- 3100.

“The sign was taken from them, and they are very interested in getting it back,” said Sargent. “People are just pulling them straight out of the ground. We have only found one, so I am not sure what they’re doing with the others.”

Bow gas stop thieves take video of robbery

Bow Editor — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:13:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

Suspects in a robbery of the South Street Mobile Station took more than money – they also made off with evidence that would implicate them in the case.

Sometime between 11 p.m. on Sunday, June 22, and 6 a.m. Monday, June 23, someone forcibly entered the Bow Mobil station, shutting off the alarm system before stealing cash and making sure the police wouldn’t see their faces.

“Once they were inside, they were able to force their way into the ATM and force cash out of that, and take cash from a safe in the store,” said Bow police Lt. Dave Girard. “They were able to take the computer responsible for storing the video surveillance as well.”

Girard would not comment if the department has any persons of interest in the investigation, but he said he has a small number of leads he will follow up on.

Despite not having any video evidence, Girard said he is confident investigators will be able to move forward toward making arrests in the case.

“Police have been able to solve plenty of crimes long before video surveillance, so there are a variety of other traditional police methods we’ll use,” he said. “We’re disappointed not to have the video, but there is still plenty we can do.”

Police are not yet sure if there is any connection between the Bow robbery and a number of other break-ins at gas stations in Merrimack Valley, as he said many similar crimes have taken place from the Bow area down to the North Shore of Boston.

Girard would not say how much cash was taken from the store, but compared to other thefts he has seen, he considers it a large quantity.

Based on the suspects’ ability to shut off the alarm and take the video recordings, Girard said it is possible it was an experienced robber.

“If someone is good at doing this, then yes, they are more likely to cover their tracks. But based on my experience, in any crime something is always left behind that can be used,” he said. “Anyone travelling South Street that day with information or that may have noticed anything should contact our tip line.”

Anyone with information can contact the Concord Regional Crimeline at 226-3100.

Bow Neighborhood Watch says be aware of scam

Bow Editor — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 00:56:00 GMT

BY GRETA CUYLER

Sometimes scam artists can dupe multiple people into one scam -- stealing one person’s identity to obtain credit, buying products with that stolen credit and shipping them somewhere else and then corralling yet another person into a phony “work from home” scam to retrieve the goods and distribute them on the black market.

That’s what happened to Debra Paradis of Bow, who fell victim to such a scam in the summer of 2006.

She met Tony in an online chat room. He turned out to be a man who eventually hoodwinked her into receiving packages at her house.

“I’m educated, I know about fraud,” said Paradis, 42. “I was depressed, I was going through a divorce, and (Tony) was someone I could tell my problems to.”

Tony told her he’d escaped a bad marriage in Canada and fled to England with his son. He said he hoped to move to the U.S. someday and visit Paradis. He seemed “suave, but not manipulative,” said Paradis.

A month later, Tony asked for her address -- he wanted to mail her a package.

Paradis thought that was odd -- but after three weeks, she relented. After she gave him her address, he told her someone would pick the packages up at her house once they arrived.

Soon two packages arrived at her door. Curious, Paradis opened them and found printer cartridges. Before she could report it, a Bow police officer knocked on her door, saying police had received a report that fraudulent credit cards were being used and products were shipped to her address.

“I said, ‘Take them, I don’t want anything to do with this,’” said Paradis. She sent a message to Tony, telling him that if he wanted his merchandise, he could contact the police.

“Just because someone says ‘I’m so and so,’ it doesn’t mean they actually are,” said Michael Blanchard, a 20-year U.S. Postal inspector in Manchester.

Blanchard said con artists looking to separate you from your money could “sell ice cubes to Eskimos.”

He recently spoke to Bow’s Neighborhood Watch group. In the town of less than 10,000 residents, the police department receives about one report of fraud a week, said Lt. Dave Girard.

According to Blanchard, there are 700,000 victims of fraud each year in the U.S. Those numbers include victims of identify theft, fraudulent bank checks/gift cheques/money orders and lottery scams.

On average, it takes 14 months for people to clear their name, Blanchard said.

“There are lots of victims, and there’s a lot of money,” Blanchard said. “This affects all ages, all genders, all everything.”

Art Merrigan named Bow Officer of the Year

admin — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 20:19:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

The expression “man’s best friend” doesn’t even begin to explain Art Merrigan’s relationship with his German shepherd, Osci.

Merrigan, a K-9 officer for the Bow Police Department, was recently named the department’s Officer of the Year for his dedication to the town. A member of the department since 2003, Merrigan was caught off guard when he was told he would be receiving the award.

“To be honest, I was taken completely by surprise. I work with a lot of good people and I don’t know why it was me that was chosen. Any of them do the same or more than I do,” said Merrigan. “Even now, it’s still kind of a surprise. I’m appreciative of it, but I don’t think my work stands out above and beyond. It is at least good to see that what we do is recognized.”

After working the K-9 unit in Pittsfield and Canterbury, Merrigan began working in Bow in fall 2003. Two years later, Bow Police Chief Jeff Jaran applied for and was given grant money to add a dog to the force.

Merrigan attended four weeks of intensive training in Pennsylvania, where he got Osci. During the four-week period, Merrigan spent about 250 hours learning different techniques for working with a canine.

Since then, he and Osci have formed a bond unlike most pet owners.

“Working with a dog is something I love to do. It encompasses an entire day, not just when we work,” he said. “The dog lives with me and we run and exercise together. Then he comes to work with me and we train together. It’s almost difficult to describe to people. To me he’s a normal extension of my work day.”

In the years since Osci joined the Bow Police Department, he has already paid dividends. Part of the agreement with having a K-9 unit is being able to provide mutual aid to surrounding towns.

Shortly after Osci arrived, two female patients escaped from the State Hospital in Concord. Merrigan and Osci were called on to help find them, and the pair located the two patients off Route 3A.

“That was the first time we’d applied something in a live situation. Training is training when you’re working with dogs, but until you apply to a situation where you have no control, it’s 100 percent trust,” said Merrigan. “That’s what develops the deep bond. It makes each time that much easier to deal with after you apply in a live situation.”

It isn’t only in emergency situations that Merrigan and Osci are called upon, as another important aspect of the job is getting out and meeting younger members of the community.

“I try to interact with the kids because they’re very curious about the dog. What I want it to be is something positive for the department and town,” said Merrigan. “It’s something that maybe could attract kids to being more friendly with who the police are. We’re approachable, and they recognize the fact that the dog is friendly with them.”

Between caring for and working with Osci, Merrigan isn’t the only one who must accept how much time he spends with his four-legged friend.

“I spend more time with my dog than I do with my wife,” joked Merrigan. “And, fortunately, she’s OK with that.”

Car troubles – 77-year-old woman arrested for imprisoning man in vehicle

Bow Editor — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 23:40:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

Jacquelyn “Jet” Jennings, 77, of Bow, was recently arrested after allegedly unlawfully imprisoning a rental car courier in her vechicle, causing him to jump from her car at the Hooksett tolls.

The 30-year-old courier was sent to Jennings’ home after the rental car company received a call from her about having a car delivered to her house. The company wasn’t able to deliver the car, but could send someone to bring her to the offices to fill out the proper paperwork.

When he arrived at the home, Jennings said the car the courier drove there was the one she wanted, according to Bow police Lt. Dave Girard.

“She wanted it a different way,” said Girard. “At that point, they got into her car and she was going to bring the courier, because that was the car she wanted.”

As the rental car employee spoke on his cell phone to his superior, Jennings drove off.

“As they got into the car, she put the car into drive and started to move,” said Girard. “He told her to stop, but she refused.

The man who was still on the phone was demanding her to stop, along with the courier.”

Jennings drove the two onto I-93, and upon arriving at the Hooksett tollbooth, the courier jumped out of the car and called the police.

The rental car employee chose to let Jennings face the judicial system.

“He has chosen to press charges, and we can’t deny that request,” said Girard. “This case is certainly a little different than what we usually deal with. We are not picking on her at all, but she now will be facing charges.”

For her actions, Jennings is facing a misdemeanor unlawful imprisonment charge, which could come with up to one year in prison and up to a $1,000 fine, though Girard said both of those penalties are unlikely.

The case has now been handed over to the Concord City Prosecutor’s office, and she will be arraigned on Oct. 18.

Busted again – SNHU basketball star faces charges after fight

Bow Editor — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 23:38:00 GMT

BY RYAN O'CONNOR

In the midst of facing felony and misdemeanor charges for allegedly possessing and selling marijuana to an undercover officer with the Attorney General’s drug task force, Paul Chergey again finds himself in trouble with the law.

The former Bow High School basketball star and current Southern New Hampshire University hoopster was suspended indefinitely after Penmen head coach Stan Spirou was informed of the allegations.

On Saturday, Sept. 22, Chergey was arrested by the Hooksett Police Department following an on-campus fight and was charged with reckless operation of a vehicle and being a minor in possession of alcohol, both misdemeanors.

Hooksett Police Capt. Paul Cecilio said witnesses claim Chergey was racing a vehicle around the parking lot.

Cecilio added that the 19-year-old has three outstanding bench warrants out of Concord District Court. Chergey’s lawyer, Kevin Buccholz, was unavailable for comment.

The two misdemeanor counts carry up to a year a piece, in addition to the drug charges that bring one to three years in prison for each special felony count and 12 months in the House of Corrections for a Class A misdemeanor.

Chergey may also lose his license for up to a year if convicted of reckless driving.

Dr. Scott Kalicki, vice president of student affairs at the university, said incident reports indicate Hooksett police were called at the request of Chergey’s combatant during the altercation.

Kalicki said the school is investigating the incident.

“Any time there is a physical altercation, we quickly do fact-finding, assuming both parties are responsible for the altercation and take it from there unless there is evidence that an individual was purely acting in self defense and couldn’t extricate themselves from the situation,” he said. “Certainly both students will be under review for this incident.”

Both men involved were examined and offered medical attention.

Both declined, said Kalicki.

Southern New Hampshire University athletics director Skip Polak, who is in his 32nd year with the institution, said if the allegations regarding the possession and sale of drugs are accurate, the charges are the most serious ever brought against a Southern New Hampshire University student athlete.

Still, Polak said he has yet to see, first hand, the actual indictments, though he acknowledged he and Jim Winn, the school’s director of safety, met with Chergey in person on Friday, Sept. 21.

“It’s really a school issue first and foremost. We have a disciplinary protocol that we, as an institution, follow,” said Polak. “Right now, it’s in a fact-finding stage, so to speculate in anyway would be premature at this point.”

Still, Kalicki said Chergey may receive further disciplinary action, the extent of which has yet to be determined.

“We’re really talking about two separate things,” he said. “One is a student handbook violation based on violent act on campus that we consider a major violation in which a student can be removed from residence halls or the academic
institution for an extended period of time.

“The other, equally, is something we will try to get more information on and monitor,” Kalicki said. “When we believe we have enough information, we’ll put him through the proper judicial process on campus.”

According to the Kalicki, the SNHU handbook indicates a student may not disrupt relationships within the university and surrounding community, which the felony charges fall under.

“There is a whole set of ranges, which becomes a challenge for us because we’re not holders of the information,” he said.

“We simply have Paul’s brief version of what took place, so, until we find out more, we have no other immediate action other than what the basketball coach has decided.”

Chergey busted for pot – SNHU cager from Bow indicted on felony, misdemeanor charges

Bow Editor — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

BY RYAN O'CONNOR

Paul Chergey, who two years ago led the Bow Falcons boys basketball team to the Class I title game, has been indicted on multiple charges involving the possession and sale of marijuana.

On Aug. 16, Chergey was indicted by the grand jury on two special felony counts of sale of a controlled drug, one felony count of possession of a controlled drug with intent to distribute, and one misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled drug.

He paid $10,000 personal recognizance bail. He also waived his arraignment.

According to Merrimack County Attorney Dan St. Hilaire, if Chergey is convicted, the three special felony counts each bring one to three years in state prison, and the Class A misdemeanor warrants 12 months in a house of corrections.

Special felony penalties, said St. Hilaire, differ depending on the type of drug and quantity sold.

The charges stem from two separate incidents.

On May 31, Chergey, while in the area of 18 Longview Drive in Bow, allegedly sold less than an ounce of marijuana to an undercover police officer and a cooperating individual.

Then, on June 28, in the area of Page Road, Chergey allegedly was in possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, which he intended to distribute, though there was, according to the indictments, no sale.

While St. Hilaire said he could not comment on specifics of the case, he spoke of the intent of the New Hampshire Attorney General’s drug task force.

“The drug task force works throughout the state and has several undercover officers from different police departments in the area assigned to the unit,” he said. “Either on their own, or with informants, they make contacts with suspected drug dealers and make arrangements to purchase drugs. Once one or in some cases two or three of those sales occurs, there is typically an arrest.”

The Bow Police Department is an active member of the drug task force.

Chergey is currently enrolled at Southern New Hampshire University, where he made an immediate impact as a freshman on the basketball team. Head coach Stan Spirou, when originally reached for comment, said it was the first time he heard of the charges.

Later, after conducting an internal investigation, Spirou said Chergey has been suspended.

“Nothing has been proven. I really don’t know much about it other than knowing he has been arrested. It’s an unfortunate situation,” Spirou said. “The only thing I do know is when an individual is arrested, no matter what their side of the story is or what they say happened, we have a policy that has to be played out.”

For now, Chergey’s scholarship is intact, and he continues his enrollment as a student.

Spirou said he has spoken with the player, who he said is “devastated” and “remorseful.”

Repeated attempts to reach Chergey for comment were unsuccessful.

“It’s not a positive thing for a program, but I’ve been doing this long enough that I know, right now, we need more information,” said Spirou. “I’ve been in this situation before, where things have worked themselves out through the judicial system.”

Spirou said he will speak with Chergey’s lawyer, Kevin Buchholz, in the near future.

A trial date has not been set.

One arrest made in string of burglaries

Bow Editor — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 19:51:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

Bow has been hit with a number of seemingly unrelated thefts in different locations throughout the town over the past week.

On Aug. 8, Bow police took a report from a home on Logging Hill Road, saying the homeowners had been on vacation from Aug. 3 to 8, and upon returning, found a number of electronics missing.

Early in the morning on Aug. 9, Bow police Lt. Dave Girard said officers received a call about potentially suspicious activity and, upon arrival, found items in the road, such as golf clubs, which he later learned were stolen from a residential garage.

As the morning progressed, police investigated a total of four incidents with items such as cash and a radar detector missing from residents of Cardinal and Chelsea drives.

The police investigation focused on a small gathering of teenagers, and later were able to put together enough information to make the first arrest of the investigation.

Colby Apple, 17, of Bow was arrested and charged with two felony counts of criminal liability for conduct of another, also known as accomplice to burglary. He was also charged with unlawful possession of alcohol.

Girard also said more arrests were expected soon as an arrest warrant is in the works for an 18-year-old and a 16-year-old, who will be charged through the juvenile court, and both likely being charged with criminal liability for conduct of another.

Although he said he has been looking over the evidence to see if there are any connections between the incidents, Girard believes at this time the thefts are not related, though he said the police will not rule anything out.

The Bow Police Department encourages anyone with information to call them no matter how small the tip may be, said Girard.

“If anyone sees anything unusual – vehicles that seem out of place, people in the neighborhood who may seem suspicious, things like that – they should call us. I know people think it is nothing, but we encourage those types of calls.”

Police cruiser tires slashed

Bow Editor — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 20:03:00 GMT

BY KEVIN SHALVEY

After arresting two Bow teenagers at the scene of an underage party, officers returning to their cars found that tires on four cars had been slashed.

The alleged Monday, June 25, party was in a wooded spot on an unpaved road off Farrington Corner Road.

Officers responded at about 11 p.m. to the road because of a report of suspicious vehicles on Farrington Corner Road, Bow Lt. Dave Girard said.

“When the officers got there, there were some minors coming out of the woods,” he said.

A cruiser each from Bow, Hopkinton, Henniker and New Hampshire State Police responded -- and each had their tires slashed.

Before finding the slashed tires, officers found Joseph Bacon, 16, and Scott Woodbury, 19, inside a pick-up truck in the woods, Girard said.

Bacon is charged as an adult with driving while intoxicated and transporting controlled drugs, both misdemeanors, Girard said.

Woodbury is charged with unlawful possession of alcohol, a violation, and possession of controlled drugs, a misdemeanor, Girard said.

“The officers walked these kids back to the cruisers and that’s when we realized our tires were slashed,” Girard said.

There was also another empty vehicle in the woods. Police are looking for the car’s owner, Girard said. Bow police are also looking for the people at the party.

“We have a list of people who we believe were out there, so they’re all people of interest,” Girard said.

Slashing tires from the four departments’ cruisers could lead to a charge of felony-level criminal mischief, Girard said.

“Because the crime happened in Bow, we’re going to go ahead and continue the investigation,” he said.
Bow police ask anyone with information to call 228-0511 or anonymously call the Concord Regional Crimeline at 226-3100.

Motorcycles recovered after burglary

Bow Editor — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 20:36:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

Bow police didn’t wait long to apprehend three suspected burglars and recover three motorcycles that were stolen from a Route 3A business.

Extreme Machines, near the intersection of Route 3A and Robinson Road, was broken into between the hours of 9 p.m. on Thursday, May 24, and 3 a.m. on Friday, May 25.

The suspects allegedly entered the building by climbing over a barbed wire fence and breaking through a Plexiglas panel on an overhead door, said Lt. Dave Girard.

Receiving the reported burglary around 8 a.m. on the May 25, Bow police, using all-terrain vehicles, were able to track the motorcycles to a nearby sandpit and forested area.

The suspects were found beforehand, after reports of three males acting in a disorderly manner came in around 10 a.m. that morning.

Officer John MacLennan, noticing one of the suspects was shirtless, deducted a shirt left at the burglary scene may connect the three men to the burglary. He also noticed shoe prints at the crime scene may have been similar to the soles of the suspects’ footwear.

Though the men were originally taken in on disorderly conduct charges, police were able to recover the stolen motorcycles – one crashed into a barrier at a nearby sandpit, including blood – and connect other evidence to the suspects, along with more shoe prints consistent with one of the men, who was also limping.

“Certainly a lot of circumstances came together to formulate probable cause, and before they were released on disorderly conduct we felt we had enough to go forward with charging them in the burglary,” said Girard. “I give a lot of credit to officer MacLennan, who had enough sense to make a mental note of the footwear and footprints at crime scene.”

Those arrested and charged with burglary include Thomas Pillsbury, 17, of Loudon Road, Concord; Peter Mackey, 19, of 69 Main St., Pittsfield; and Michael Grover, 18, of 70 Mapleton St., Manchester.

Each was arraigned in Concord District on Tuesday, May 29, and bail has been set as follows: Pillsbury, $20,000 cash; Mackey, $22,500 cash; and Grover, $10,000 cash.

Bow police fight cyber crime

Bow Editor — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 18:42:00 GMT

By Ryan O'Connor
Staff Writer

Bow Police Detective David Girard has boldly gone where no officer has gone before.

Girard, according to Tim Pifer, director with the state forensic police laboratory, is the first town or city detective in the country to remotely access a state hard drive recovery system through the comfort of his own desk.

Girard, who was part of the first group of 17 detectives in New Hampshire who learned how to use the system, said Bow is the first town in the state to access it.

The purpose, said Girard, is to access files, which could pertain to financial fraud, child pornography or any other crimes involving the use of a computer hard drive.

“There has been an initiative in the state on how police will investigate computers that are seized,” said Girard. “Historically, what the problem has been is that there has only been one guy that is responsible for all the computers that are seized in the state.”

Pifer said it is normally a time-consuming process that involves creating an exact duplicate of the suspect’s hard drive and then analyzing it, which narrows down what nvestigators would primarily be looking for.

Now, rather than one or two people doing all the work in the state lab, a hard drive replica is still being made but is now placed on a secure server.

Individual police departments or detectives can then access it to do the analysis themselves.

“The detectives are intimately familiar with their case, not us, so this way we give them the resources and the tools to do this themselves,” said Pifer. “It puts a lot of the searching back in the detectives’ hands where it belongs.”

Pifer said roughly 150 departments around New Hampshire already have the capability of tapping into the state police server, which controls the remote access hard drive recovery system.

“Right now we have the luxury of having the backbone already in place, so we are simply tapping into that secured network and allowing this to be run through that,” Pifer said. “So any department that has access to that LAN line will be able to utilize this resource.”

Girard is hopeful this will save all parties a lot of time.

“Hopefully, this will alleviate a backlog and speed up the process because detectives will be able to look for exactly what they’re need, rather than just bringing a computer over (to the state lab) and having (the technician) try to figure out what we want, we can just do it ourselves,” said Girard. “Plus, it doesn’t necessarily contaminate our computers either because everything we do is on their server over there.”

The new system also has the ability to pull out selected files, such as word documents, spreadsheets or photos, depending on the case, and separate them, making it easier for detectives to search through.

It can also detect files that are masked or hidden with different file extension by red-flagging any file header information that doesn’t match up with the file extensions.

Moreover, the system can also pick up hash values, a number which helps identify a file or document to an individual’s computer that may have been investigated in past cases.

Girard compared the hash value to a vehicle identification number, as far as distinguishing a person’s documents from another.

According to Pifer, he is unaware of any other states using the technology, but has received a great deal of interest from within the law enforcement community.

“This is a pretty leading edge solution to preventing backlogs of evidence and not just in New Hampshire, but other states will be using this to work through their backlog problems as well,” he said. “Computer crimes will only grow larger as far as widespread use of computer technology is concerned, whether it be personal computers, blackberries, cellphones or any other digital devices. So, it’s nice to have this state-of-the-art technology.”