WNTK Local News

The estate of Cody LaFont is suing the city of Claremont, NH and the officer who shot killed him, reports the Valley News.

On September 25, 2016, Officer Ian Kibbe responded to LaFont’s morning after receiving multiple 911 calls from the residence asking for an officer to respond to his home due to his depression. LaFont reportedly opened the front door, and advanced towards Kibbe with a gun. At the time, the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office deemed that Kibbe was “legally justified” in shooting LaFont.

The lawsuit from the estate claims that “LaFont, at the time Kibbe unlawfully discharged his firearm, was not attempting to avoid a lawful seizure, nor did he pose any threat to an officer’s safety or the safety of the public.”

There were no witnesses, and Claremont police did not utilize body or cruiser cameras at the time. The lawsuit states the police used excessive force and that LaFont was discriminated against due to his mental illness. 

The double shooting that took place Wednesday night in Concord, NH has been deemed a murder-suicide, reports Patch.com.

Upon arriving to the scene at approximately 7:45 PM, Concord Police found two victims on the scene; Alex Thorne, 22, and Zoey Desmarais, 21. Desmarais was transported to Concord Hospital where she passed during the night, whereas Thorne was dead on scene with a gunshot wound to the head.

Medical examiner Dr. Christine James determined that Thorne had shot Desmarais, then turned the weapon on himself, ending his own life. 

A free, 24/7 confidential service is available that can provide people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress, or those around them, with support, information, and local resources. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Police in Concord, NH are investigating a shooting at the Steeplegate Mall, reports Patch.com.

First reports of the shooting came in around 7:44 PM. Reportedly two people, one man and one woman, were injured at least. The two were transported to a local medical facility. Concord Firefighters and local ambulance units are set up on-scene, and multiple witness statements have been taken.

Updates will be provided as available. 

A Hartford, VT man was been ordered held without bail Wednesday, after reportedly physically assaulting an estranged girlfriend, reports HereCast.

24-year-old Kyle Gonyo plead not guilty to two felony counts of aggravated domestic assault and to a misdemeanor of interfering access to emergency services. Gonyo had just been released earlier in September after a conviction for cruelty and domestic assault to his own child.

Police Officers had run into the victim, Cassidy Hoisington, on Tuesday as she walked off a trail with a torn backpack. According to Hoisington, Gonyo had torn the backpack mere minutes before while trying to take her phone away so she could not call police. Two nights before this altercation, Gonyo reportedly picked Hoisington up off the ground, squeezed her head, and threatened to kill her.

He is being held without bail due to the court’s fear that “there appears to be an escalating pattern of jealousy-driven violence.”

According to a report by HereCast, a former Springfield, VT man has been accused by an 8-year-old of sexually assaulting her at least 50 times over a period of two years.

Romeo Reome III, now of Dansby, has been the subject of a Springfield Police Department investigation after the child told her adopted mother of the assaults, and was taken to the emergency room. Medical personnel at the time of this hospital visit stated “that the likelihood of sexual abuse in this instance would be very high.”

Reome has been ordered held without bail, with the possibility of living in a supervised setting until trial if he can present the court with a plan for this action. He is currently facing a life sentence in association with these charges. 

A Claremont, NH man has been named the Sullivan County Fugitive of the Week.

The Sheriff’s Office is looking for 30-year-old James R. Perry of Claremont. Perry’s last known address was at 65 Sullivan Street. He is described as being six foot one, around 140 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes.

Perry is currently wanted for failure to appear in court, but the original charge was Possession of Fentanyl, a Class B Felony. The man was indicted on July 26, 2019 and scheduled to appear in Sullivan County Superior Court on September 9. Upon not arriving, a warrant was issued for his arrest on the 13th.

Anyone with information as to the whereabouts of Perry is urged to call the sheriff’s office at 603-863-4200 or their local police station. 

Over the weekend, a large fire occurred at Vermont Timberworks in North Springfield, VT.

On September 21, 2019, the Springfield Fire Department were dispatched to a fire 16 Fairbanks Road. The first engine to arrive at the scene encountered heavy fire to the outside front and roof of the Timberworks building.

Fire Departments from Weathersfield, Chester, Ascutney, Windsor, Proctorville, Ludlow, Claremont, Bellows Falls, Westminster, Walpole, and Charlestown all fought the flames through the night, but to no avail. The building experienced extensive damage, and along with its contents are being called a total loss.

After investigation, it was found that discarded waste materials along with the warm temps and humidity, caused a dumpster too close to the building to spontaneously ignite. Due to the damage, the company cannot work from this building and is seeking a temporary address to continue operations. 

A motor vehicle crash late Thursday night in Enfield, NH has taken the life of a Vermont man.

In the evening hours of September 19,2019, NH State Police Troop D was made aware of a crash on I-89. According to reports, a vehicle was traveling in the left hand lane, when it drifted left into the grassy median. At this point, the SUV struck a guardrail, before turning back into the interstate, and resting across both lanes. Upon arrival, the driver, 83-year-old Robert Fueher of Peacham, was pronounced deceased.

While the crash is still under investigation, police ask anyone who witnessed the crash to call Troop D and speak to Trooper Brandon Rivard at 603-223-6195. 

A Bellows Falls, VT man has been arrested after breaking into a Westminster home this past weekend.

Police state that on Friday, September 20, 2019, they responded to a home on Back Westminster Road, where a man had entered the residence without permission, brandishing a knife. After investigation, it was discovered that the suspect was 34-year-old Bryan Lenane, and that he was under the influence of drugs at the time. Also, it was disclosed that Lenane had committed several instances of prior domestic assault to a resident of the home.

Lenane was arrested for Unlawful Trespass into an Occupied Dwelling, First Degree Aggravated Domestic Assault, three counts of Domestic Assault, and Cruelty to a Child. He was then ordered held without bail.

Police state that due to him being high on bath salts, and other factors, it is unknown whether he will appear at his court date. 

A series of criminals have been arrested in relation to a string of recent larcenies in Windsor, VT.

The Windsor Police Department stated on their Facebook page that, “During the early morning hours on Sunday, September 8, 2019, unknown suspects committed several larcenies from vehicles.” These incidents included breaking into the cars and stealing items. The suspects than vandalized multiple public and private properties with spray paint they had stolen.

Following an investigation, the unspecified suspects have been arrested and charged. Authorities were able to find many of the stolen items and give them back to their rightful owners.