Salem Observer : Police Department

Salem teen stiffed in drug deal, later arrested

Salem Editor — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:46:00 GMT

A local teen who turned to the authorities after a drug deal went sour at the Mall at Rockingham Park on Sept. 26 now faces criminal charges, according to police.

Authorities said Samantha Medina, 17, of Salem informed mall security officers and then a police officer that two fast food restaurant employees had refused to pay her for the roughly $40 bag of marijuana she had sold them at about 10 p.m. on Saturday.

Medina allegedly told authorities that the D’Angelos employees had taken the small bag of weed during the hand-to-hand transaction before slamming the door shut on her without paying. According to police, after further investigation the officer recovered a small bag of marijuana and took all three into custody.

Vincent Brown, 17, of Salem and Danielle Fiore, 21, of Kittery, Maine, were both charged with possession of a controlled drug. Police charged Medina with the sale of a controlled drug. All three were released on summons pending their arraignment at Salem District Court, according to authorities.

Salem Selectman to be investigated for using influence

Salem Editor — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:24:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

Selectman Patrick Hargreaves has come under fire for allegedly trying to use his position as a member of the board to influence a police officer during a June 13 confrontation with a patrolman.

In a letter written to Town Manager Jonathan Sistare on June 15, Chief of Police Paul Donovan accused Hargreaves of improper and unethical behavior after a verbal exchange with officer Michael White at 23 School St. According to Donovan, White was on patrol when he found a Stacey Tree Co. boom truck blocking the free flow of traffic without warning signs, with several workers in street clothes directing motorists around the vehicle.

According to Donovan, when White directed the workers to shut the job down he was approached by a man – later identified as Hargreaves by officer Eric Dugas, the second officer to arrive on the scene – who said he would call the town manager in regards to the incident. Donovan wrote that Hargreaves also told White that he would bring the matter up at the next selectmen meeting.

“Clearly, this was a threat and an improper attempt to influence the official act of a police officer in the performance of his sworn duty,” Donovan wrote. “Such an improper action is not only unethical, but in violation of RSA 49-D:4, Non-Interference by the Elected Body. Mr. Hargreaves has been trained in this RSA and has had other instances where this type of violation was brought to his attention, yet he continues to act in this illegal and unethical manner.”

Donovan also charged Hargreaves with contacting a local newspaper, the Salem Community Patriot, to tell them that the Police Department had shut down a volunteer project.

“Selectman Hargreaves’ outrageous conduct reflects poorly on the Town and Board of Selectmen. It ... should be investigated by the Board of Selectmen for action,” Donovan wrote. “We ... have been frequent victims of his improper and unethical conduct, as well as the disrespectful and negative barbs that he tosses out in public on a regular basis.”

At a Monday, June 22, board meeting, Hargreaves fired back, accusing the the department of lying about his contact with members of the press while defending his conduct during the incident.

“I am guilty as charged for volunteering my time. I am guilty as charged for saying I was a selectman. I should never have said I was a selectman ... I told everybody I would drop it. I did not want this to get that far. I don’t see where I was out of bounds,” Hargreaves said.

Hargreaves also maintains that he did not initiate contact with a newspaper and told the board that he had been called by a reporter in connection with the volunteer work being done on School Street.

Though the selectmen chose to table the matter until a public disciplinary hearing scheduled for the July 13 meeting, Chairman Arthur Barnes said the incident had broken new ground for the board.

Under state statute, a member of the elected body would forfeit their seat if found interfering with an officer performing their duty through procedures outlined in the town charter, but the Salem town charter has no such procedure.

“According to the RSA, we have to follow the procedure in town charter, but the town charter is silent. I guess the procedure that I intend to follow is adhering similarly to what used to be a discipline hearing back when I was in the Fire Department,” Barnes said. “We’re still in the fact finding mode. That will be concluded at our next meeting. Because this involves one of the five of us, under the RSA it must be public.”

According to Barnes, both sides will be able to present their accounts of the incident before the board arrives at a final decision. Given the lack of guidelines in the town charter, Barnes said there was no way of determining any of the possible outcomes from the hearing ahead of time.

Police officials confirmed yesterday that there had been an incident involving Hargreaves, but declined to comment until the matter had been settled by the board.

Seven handguns stolen from Vt. found in Salem dumpster

Salem Editor — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:47:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

Federal and local authorities are asking anyone with information in connection with a bag of stolen handguns recovered from an apartment complex dumpster to step forward.

According to authorities, a man rummaging through a dumpster outside of his King’s Court Condos apartment at 99 Cluff Crossing on June 9 discovered a duffel bag containing seven handguns and ammunition.

After the weapons had been turned over to police, local authorities used the serial numbers on the guns to confirm that they had been reported stolen from Barrow’s Trading Post in Queechee, Vt., on June 1.

According to police, a total of 16 guns were stolen from the federally licensed gun dealer along with a quantity of ammunition during the burglary.

Under investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, federal authorities are offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrests of those involved in the burglary. Wayne Barrows, owner of the store, has offered an additional reward of $500, police said.

Authorities are encouraging anyone with information to contact the Burlington, Vt., ATF office at (802) 865-4020, the Salem Police Department at 893-1911 or the Southern New Hampshire Crimeline at 893-6600.

Body found at Rockingham Park Racetrack

Salem Editor — Wed, 27 May 2009 20:03:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

Police officials are waiting for the autopsy and toxicology results on the body of a 23- year-old woman found dead at the Rockingham Park Racetrack on May 21, but are not considering her death as suspicious.

The body of the woman was discovered inside one of the cottages located on the back side of the racetrack sometime before 3:30 p.m., according to authorities. Officials said there was no evidence at the scene that made the death appear suspicious.

Authorities now believe it may have been a possible drug overdose.

Police officials expected to have the results from the tests in the next two to three weeks.

Salem teen dies in crash

Salem Editor — Thu, 07 May 2009 12:40:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

The cause of a car crash in nearby Atkinson that left one local teen dead and another hospitalized on May 5 remains under investigation, though state police believe excessive speed contributed to the accident.

Robert C. Stuart, 18, of Salem was pronounced dead on the scene after the 1994 Chevrolet Cavalier he was driving veered off the eastbound shoulder of Island Pond Road and into a tree at 12:03 a.m. According to authorities, Stuart had been heading west before the accident.

A 16-year-old female passenger from Derry was transported to the Lawrence General Hospital in Lawrence, Mass., before being Med-Flighted to the Boston Medical Center.

Neither Stuart nor his passenger were wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, state police said.

State police were assisted at the scene by Atkinson police and Atkinson Fire Rescue.

Authorities are asking anyone with information regarding the crash to contact State Trooper Tamara Hester at 679- 3333.

Salem father with chainsaw and son arrested after scuffle with police

Salem Editor — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 01:21:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

A local father and son were taken into custody on Thursday, April 23, after a domestic dispute escalated into a chainsaw standoff on Woodland Avenue, according to authorities.

Police said Jake Wells, 32, told officers over the phone that his 53-year-old father, John Wells, was outside of his residence, trying to get in and threatening him with a chainsaw at about 12:10 a.m.

Upon arrival,officers described finding an “angry” subject standing on the front porch wielding a running chainsaw.

The older Wells allegedly ignored instructions by police to drop the chainsaw until officers drew their weapons and a Taser. Police said Wells put down the saw after lengthy and heated negotiations and continued to be combative as officers took him into custody.

While officers were struggling with the older Wells, police said the son came at officers, forcing them to defend themselves against him as well. Both men were eventually taken into custody.

Police charged the father with reckless conduct, criminal threatening and resisting arrest and released him on $10,000 personal recognizance bail pending his arraignment at Salem District Court on the condition he stay away from the Woodland Avenue residence.

The younger Wells is facing charges of hindering apprehension and resisting arrest and was released with a court summons.

Two arrested for drugs by detective watching gym parking lot in Salem

Salem Editor — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:20:00 GMT

An investigation into a series of “smash and grab” thefts led to the arrest of two people for possession of marijuana on March 31.

Police charged Laurie Murphy, 35, of Methuen, Mass., and her stepfather Arthur Croteau, 55, of Pelham with possession of a controlled drug after officers spotted Murphy allegedly searching through Croteau’s parked vehicle for drugs at The Workout Club in Salem at about 9:30 p.m.

According to police, Murphy began acting nervously when Detective Mike Rogers approached her. Upon further investigation, police said a small amount of marijuana was found in Murphy’s vehicle. Rogers also discovered about an ounce of marijuana in Croteau’s vehicle after locating him inside the gym.

Police believe Murphy was searching for drugs inside Croteau’s car when she was spotted by the plainclothes detective. Both were released on summons pending their arraignment at Salem District Court.

Authorities began the parking lot surveillance after responding to reports of thefts at Planet Fitness and the Salem Athletic Club. Police said several vehicles were broken into and items, including a purse, GPS unit and cell phone were stolen.

Authorities do not have any leads or suspects at this time and the incidents remain under investigation.

– Derrick Perkins

Police applicants on the increase in Pelham and Salem

Salem Editor — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:16:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

Even before the recession was in full swing, Lt. Brian McCarthy had seen a change in the attitudes of civilians and certified police officers alike looking for open positions within the Pelham Police Department.

With one officer overseas in the military, McCarthy began to look for a temporary replacement, and though there was no guarantee the individual hired would have a job when the officer returned, it wasn’t long before he found a taker.

“It’s ‘take any work you can get.’ He told me, ‘I don’t care, it’s work and I’ll take it,’” McCarthy said. “Thankfully, we were able to keep him. and this is before the sky fell.”

Now the department has been inundated with applications from both certified police officers and civilians looking for work. This time last year, McCarthy said he had received two resumes. He has already received 25 so far this year with three coming in over the last week alone.

“Anytime that the economy starts to tank, people flock to government jobs, in my opinion. This recession is a perfect example of that. People are getting laid off from the private sector left and right, from computer companies to retail stores,” McCarthy said. “The only people so far that have not had to deal with any layoffs are the police.”

There has not been an increase in the number of resumes and applications flowing into the Police Department in nearby Salem, but officials said that was likely due to the department not having gone through a hiring process since the economic crisis began. During downturns and recessions in the past, Salem police Capt. Shawn Patten said the number of individuals applying for open positions rose to anywhere between 300 and 500. During a year when the economy was doing well, that number would be around 50, he said.

Officials may have a chance see first hand how much interest in law enforcement employment has grown in the near future as selectmen plan to discuss applying for the COPS Hiring Recovery Program this week as a way to possibly bring three new officers to the department. As part of the economic stimulus package, the program subsidizes the first three years of the new officers’ salaries and benefits with the department agreeing to keep those individuals on staff for a full year after the funding ends.

If the town is approved, it would mark the first growth in the department since 1990, according to Chief Paul Donovan.

With one vacancy to be filled in his department, McCarthy has already begun interviewing applicants. One benefit of the increased interest in the position is the amount of certified police officers sending in resumes. While it costs roughly $27,000 and takes about a year to train a civilian, experienced officers can be patrolling in 12 weeks or less.

Still, the number of civilians putting in applications outweighs trained officers, according to Mc- Carthy. Given the economy, he said it wasn’t a surprise to him.

“We’ve seen a significant increase in the last 10 months,” McCarthy said. “We just got a vacancy that I’ve already got people in for interviews this (week)”