WNTK Local News

A March 3, 2020 traffic stop led to multiple arrests in Lebanon, New Hampshire.

At approximately 1:20 AM, a Lebanon police officer performed a routine traffic stop for a defective break light. The male driver and female occupant reportedly gave the officer false names, and upon investigation it was found that they were Colin Dowling, 32, of Canterbury, NH and Colleen Mitchell, 24, of Grantham, NH. A search of the vehicle found $6110 in cash, methamphetamine, LSD, cocaine, ecstasy, prescription meds, drug paraphernalia, and indication of drug sale. Both occupants were also found to have active warrants, and were arrested and held at the Grafton County House of Corrections to await their arraignments.

Dowling was also issued a court summons for Disobeying an Officer and Operating on a Suspended License, along with a citation for his defective break light.

Additional charges are expected in the coming days.

City election results are rolling in from Claremont, New Hampshire, reports The Eagle Times.

Five incumbents (Chair Frank Sprague, School District Moderator Tracy Pope, District Clerk Mary Woodman, District Treasurer Jane Hunter, Board Member Michael Petrin) on the ballot kept their spots, running largely unopposed. The only opposition was 18-year-old Stevens High School student Tyler Sullivan, who received 153 write-in votes.

All seven articles up for vote passed, including the $38.2 million school budget.

Voter turnout was very low, as only 1047 of Claremont’s 6332 registered voters made a trip to the polls. Some point to COVID-19 for the lower turnout, with the state now having five confirmed cases, though that hypothesis has not been proven.

Former Claremont, New Hampshire mayor George Caccavaro has plead guilty to two counts of simple assault, reports The Union Leader.

On Tuesday, he plead guilty to the two counts, after prosecutors agreed to drop the two counts of sexual assault. The guilty plea and dropping of charges are reportedly part of a negotiated deal. The two simple assault charges were brought up in anticipation of the 78-year-old striking a plea deal. Each simple assault charge is said to carry one year of prison time.

One simple assault charge accuses him of grabbing the victim’s rear without consent, while the second alleges that he thrust his hips against the victim’s pelvis, again without consent. The victim in question is a Stevens High School special needs student.

Caccavaro is scheduled to be sentenced in May, after the NH Probation and Parole Department creates their pre-sentencing report.

Acworth, New Hampshire are readying for Tuesday’s town voting, reports The Sentinel Source.

The town’s operating budget, use of capital reserve funds, and one contested board of selectmen race.

Acworth will be voting on whether to approve a $1,327,803.70 budget, which is down $28,934.30 from last year’s. As far as capital reserves, voters will look at raising $88,000 to serve multiple utilitarian sources throughout the town.

For the board of selectmen, only one seat is up for grabs, as the incumbent Jim Jennison attempts to keep the position for another three years from opponent Steven Holt.

Elections are set to be held at the Acworth Town Hall from 10 AM to 7 PM, with a town meeting to follow.

The Lebanon, New Hampshire Police Department and Fire Department are warning citizens of a phone scam in the region, reports e-Ticker News of Claremont.

The alleged scam calls are from a group claiming to be asking citizens credit card information as part of a Lebanon Fire Department fundraiser. According to Police Chief Richard Mello, “The Lebanon Fire Department is not conducting a fundraiser and would never call residents to request a donation.”

If you receive this call, or have been a victim of the scam, please call the Lebanon Police Department at 603-448-1212.

A Newport, New Hampshire man has been arrested after torturing and killing a cat, reports The Union Leader.

35-year-old Joshua Lee Muncey of Whipple Road in Newport has been charged with one count of animal cruelty and will appear in court in April. The cat in question was found hanging by a noose in Muncey’s apartment, from which he was removed and taken to a shelter in Claremont following domestic violence charges in October 2019. The cat was bloodied, and appeared to have a broken jaw from month’s of abuse. While the cat was found alive, it was euthanized following examination by a veterinarian.

Newport Police Lt. Charles Rataj stated in an affidavit that the seven month old kitten’s death was caused by Muncey’s abuse.

Vermont’s first presumptive COVID-19 positive patient is currently in serious condition, reports MyNBC 5.

The adult man is from Bennington County. He went to the Southwestern Vermont Medical Center on Thursday night with respiratory problems, before being tested for the coronavirus Friday morning. The patient is currently listed as a “presumptive positive” as results still need to be confirmed by the Center for Disease Control, which should occur as early as Monday.

According to the hospital, eight staff members have possibly been exposed and are being monitored closely.

The patient is in an airborne illness isolation room, and the rest of the hospital has been deemed safe for patients.

An individual who attended a worship service at Hope Bible Fellowship in West Lebanon, New Hampshire has tested positive for the coronavirus, reports e-Ticker News of Claremont on Facebook.

Lebanon City Officials were informed by the Department of Health and Human Services of this on Sunday, March 8, 2020. The DHHS has recommended that anyone who attended the March 1 service and acquired respiratory or fever-like symptoms should stay home and contact the Bureau of Infectious Disease Control. Approximately 60 people attended the service.

In a second post on e-Ticker’s Facebook page, a letter from SAU 6 stating that one of the Maple Avenue School’s staff members had attended the church service. Due to this, the individual, although they are not showing any signs of COVID-19, has been asked to wait until March 16 to return to the school as a precaution.

A Sunapee, New Hampshire man’s drunken drive led to a fiery crash this past weekend, reports The Union Leader.

At approximately 8:40 AM Saturday morning, police began receiving calls of a 2015 Dodge Journey being stolen from a parking area in Newport, NH. At this same time, Newport PD got calls about the same car speeding towards Sunapee and Newbury, NH on Route 103. The vehicle was then found in flames on the side of the road by officers and the driver, 42-year-old Michael Sullivan, was seen running down the middle of the road to flee the wreckage.

Once he was apprehended, he was transported to the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center to be treated for his minor injuries. Sullivan has been charged with theft, reckless conduct with a deadly weapon, conduct after an accident and aggravated DUI, all felonies. He also receives a misdemeanor for resisting arrest, with more charges possible following investigation.

He will appear in Sullivan County District Court on Monday.

The falsification of evidence has led to the sentencing of a Claremont, New Hampshire woman, reports The Union Leader. \

Kassidy Briere, 22, plead guilty on Wednesday to one count of falsifying evidence. She receives this charge for reportedly helping her boyfriend hide evidence following a stabbing last May. The stabbing incident, where 24-year-old Alex Corbosiero allegedly stabbed 25-year-old Christopher Bradford, was over a $50 dispute.

Briere was sentenced to one to three years in state prison, but that sentence will be suspended for three years, putting her on probation.