Pelham News : Burglary

Pelham resident stabbed during burglary

Salem Editor — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:43:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

A Derry man has been arrested and charged in connection with an attempted burglary that ended in a physical altercation with a Vassar Drive homeowner on Aug. 26.

Now facing first-degree assault and burglary charges, 37-year-old Anthony Richardson was located in Methuen, Mass., and taken into custody by Pelham detectives working alongside local authorities at about 8:45 p.m. that night.

According to police, evidence recovered at the crime scene identified Richardson as the suspect in the attempted breakin and a warrant for his arrest was put out after the homeowner positively identified Richardson in a photo line-up.

At about 10:15 a.m. that morning, the homeowner – listed as Dennis Viger by Vision Appraisal’s online assessors database – arrived at his 3 Vassar Drive residence to find a vehicle parked in his driveway with the trunk open. As the homeowner took down the license plate number of the dark-colored four-door Saturn, Richardson allegedly exited the residence carrying a computer.

Placing the computer in the trunk, Richardson then confronted the homeowner, using a screwdriver as a weapon and sparking a scuffle that left the homeowner with a broken wrist and stab wound to his left bicep, according to authorities. Though the home-owner was able to eventually wrestle the screwdriver away from Richardson and stab him between the ribs with the tool, Richardson was able to flee the scene.

At the time, Lt. Brian McCarthy said that while the homeowner’s encounter with Richardson had not ended badly, the department’s policy was to discourage witnesses to a crime from getting involved.

Officers at the scene said Richardson was unknown to the homeowner, who initially thought the strange vehicle in his driveway may have belonged to a contractor doing work on the residence. Richardson will be held in Massachusetts on fugitive of justice charges until he is remanded to authorities in New Hampshire, police said.

Theft of wall safe on Ledge Road is third Pelham burglary in a week

Salem Editor — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 18:16:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

The burglary of a Ledge Road home on Aug. 1 was the third in a string of residential break-ins reported in the span of a single week, according to local authorities.

Police said one or more suspects entered the Ledge Road residence sometime between 8:30 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. and removed a safe from a wall containing a large amount of money and sentimental family photographs. According to authorities, the homeowner was not home at the time, and another member of the family discovered the crime after returning to the residence.

Though police recovered evidence left by the suspects at the crime scene, Sgt. Michael Pickles said the department does not have any solid leads at this time.

According to Pickles, officers investigating the burglary have no reason to connect the latest break-in with the burglary of two other local homes late last week.

On Friday, July 31, a Burns Road homeowner reported that he had arrived home to find the front door of his home kicked in. Two wooden boxes containing an undisclosed amount of jewelry had been stolen from the master bedroom of the residence, according to police. Officers arriving at the scene found no one inside the home, but determined the door had been forced open.

The night before authorities received a report at about 9 p.m. that the front door to a Nashua Road residence had been forced open. According to police, prescription medications had been stolen from the home sometime after 5 p.m.

While the three burglaries may be unrelated, Pickles believes that the economy could be playing a role in the rash of break-ins and other incidents, including the theft of $200 from a farm stand at about 3:16 p.m. on Saturday, reported in the past few weeks.

With many struggling to make ends meet through the recession, people may be taking more drastic measures, Pickles said.

“The only thing that is across the board is that the economy is playing a role in these things,” he said. “People are hard up for cash because of the economy.”

For the time being, authorities are urging residents to report any suspicious people or vehicles in their neighborhoods.

Police are advising anyone who believes their home may have been burglarized to stay out of the residence and contact the department immediately at 635-2411. Individuals with information regarding the burglaries or any other suspicious activities are also asked to contact the police department and speak with either Lt. Brian McCarthy or Sgt. Anne T. Perriello.

Pelham homeowner gets burglar to put stuff back

Salem Editor — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 02:49:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

Police are looking for an alleged burglar who apologized to the homeowner he was attempting to rob after being caught in the act.

According to authorities, the homeowner found the burglar walking out of the rear of his residence with jewelry boxes and electronic devices after arriving home at about 12:45 p.m. on Friday, April 10.

Police said the the burglar began apologizing after he was confronted by the victim and returned all of the items he had taken after the homeowner requested he do so.

Though the homeowner continued to talk to the burglar, attempting to befriend him and keep him on the premises, the suspect eventually fled on foot heading west on Dutton Road before officers arrived, police said.

A search of the area did not turn up the suspect, authorities said.

Police are describing the suspect as a white male, in his mid-20’s, 6 feet tall with a medium build.

At the time of the attempted burglary, he was wearing a baseball cap, T-shirt and jogging pants.

According to authorities, the homeowner was able to obtain a possible name and address through his conversations with the suspect.

An investigation is ongoing, and police are asking anyone with information to contact the Pelham criminal department at 635-2411.

Man keeps alleged burglar at bay for police

Salem Editor — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 21:26:00 GMT

BY DARRELL HALEN

A Pelham homeowner used an unloaded shotgun to keep an alleged burglar away from his house and was able to detain him until police arrived.

Michael Pacheco said he saw the alleged burglar, Joseph Guillemette, 18, trying to break into his son’s car at his 89 Sherburne Road residence.

When he confronted Guillemette at around 9:30 a.m., Wednesday, Dec. 20, the alleged burglar was on his way to his shed, Pacheco said.

Guillemette had driven down Pacheco’s secluded driveway and backed up his vehicle to the shed, according to police.

After Pacheco confronted Guillemette and did not believe his excuse for being on his property, he took Guillemette’s car keys and returned to his house to notify police.

Pacheco said that when Guillemette began banging on his door and demanding his keys back, he feared for the safety of himself and his family and grabbed his shotgun. His 3-year-old child was home at the time.

“I did what I thought was right,” he said.

With the unloaded gun in his hands, Pacheco was able to keep Guillemette away from his house and to hold him until officers arrived.

“My heart pounded like it never pounded,” he recalled. Guillemette, a Pelham resident, has been charged with burglary and was ordered held on $100,000 cash bail at the county jail.