Former school employee faces kiddie porn charges
LONDONDERRY — A a speech pathologist, who has worked in the Londonderry and Litchfield school districts, faces charges after child pornography was found on his computer. John McGarry, 43, of Oak Road in Londonderry, was arrested by the FBI on Thursday, May 14. He appeared in U.S. District Court in Concord on a single count of possession of child pornography, a felony. He was working for the Litchfield school district at the time of his arrest and has been placed on administrative leave. McGarry has been employed in Litchfield since 2003, but also worked as a speech pathologist in the Londonderry school district between 2005 and 2007.
Judge James Muirhead agreed to keep the warrant for McGarry's arrest out of public view ofr 120 days "to protect the confidentiality of the ongoing undercover investigation. McGarry was arraigned Thursday and released on bail. Muirhead barred him from having contact with any children, including his son and daugthter, court documents said.
Londonderry school district officials have set up an informational meeting to answer parents concerns for Thursday, May 21 at at 7 p.m. in the Matthew Thornton Cafeteria. Present at that meeting will be Greenberg, Chief of Police William Hart, Director of Pupil Services Kimberly Carpinone, LEEP Coordinator Lynn Slapsys and School Board Chairman Steve Young.
Judge allows Bellmare testimony
BRENTWOOD — A former inmate and now a police informant is set to be a key witness in a murder trial this week.
On Monday, Superior Court Judge Tina Nadeau shot down a request by the defense to throw out the testimony of Henry Bellmare, who once attended a prison Bible study class with Robin Knight, going on trial this week for his part in a murder plot.
Knight, who faces numerous charges, is accused of helping millionaire businessman John Brooks set up Derry man Jack Reid, as part of a murder-for-hire scheme. Brooks is now serving life in prison for masterminding Reid's death.
Bellmare had no role in Reid's killing. Three others have been convicted for their roles in Reid's murder in June of 2005.
Zip takes punches, nabs suspect
LONDONDERRY — The Police Department's K-9 Zip is fine after a confrontation with suspect on Sunday, May 10.
A routine traffic stop for New Hampshire State Police took a turn into Londonderry just south of exit 4 on Route 93 at about 6:45 a.m. that morning and two men stopped the car they were driving in the high speed lane, while State Police were pulling them over. One fled to the east towards Auto Auction of New England the other to the west by the State salt shed and storage area. Officer John Perry was requested to the scene to perform a track with his canine Zip.
Zip performed the track which lead him throughout the area between the Londonderry Car Care Car Wash and throughout the brush area on Hampton Drive. In the area of the Londonderry Car Wash Zip indicated he picked up a human scent and began pulling Perry into the heavy brush area. Both Perry and Zip got caught up in the thick brush. Zip was able to pull through the brush and located a male subject hiding within.
At this point Zip was ordered to apprehend the suspect later identified as Jesse Rodriguez. The suspect punched Zip numerous times in attempt to escape. Rodriguez was able to pull himself with Zip attached to him, out of the brush into a cleared area.
Rodriguez originally provided the Londonderry Police Department with a false name and date of birth. A request for $5,000 cash bail was granted, based on the fact that Mr. Rodriquez has no identification. Rodriguez is charged with the crime of willful interference with Police Dogs and resisting Arrest.
Stabbing suspect turns himself in
DERRY — A local man turned himself to police to face charges he stabbed a 14-year-old boy and slashed another with a knife during an alleged drug purchase.
William Powers, 20, of 25 Fairway Drive, is charged with first-degree assault, two counts of robbery, and two counts of second-degree assault.
Police were called to the Fairways apartment complex on April 22 following a report of a robbery and assault.
Officers found the 14-year-old, who told police he had been stabbed and that Powers took a small amount of cash. Another victim, an 18-year-old, reported having his hand slashed by Powers. Both victims were treated at local hospitals.
Powers is being held on $50,000 at the Rockingham County jail. Anyone with additional information on the attack can call Derry police at 432-6111.
Hit-and-run driver sought
LONDONDERRY — Police are looking for a hit-and-run driver involved in an accident with a school bus on May 7 morning. The crash happened shortly before 7 a.m. in front of 118 Hardy Road near the corner of Stonehenge Road.
According to police, a male driver in a Nissan Maxima went through a stop sign at the intersection and hit a school bus. Children were on the bus at the time of the crash, but no one was hurt.
Children escape accident unharmed
LONDONDERRY — A baby and a young child escaped serious injury on May 9 when the cars their parents were driving collided on Interstate 93 near exit 4.
According State Trooper Lawrence Lundt both children were in "proper child restraints" and were uninjured.
State police are investigating the 9 a.m. crash, Lundt said. He is not releasing the names of the injured, but said the people involved are from Derry and Salem. The baby's father was partially ejected from the station wagon, which rolled over into the median, Lundt said. He was not wearing a seat belt. Rescue workers took him to Elliot Hospital in Manchester. He is expected to recover fully.
The young child's mother complained of a headache and neck and back pain. Relatives drove her to the hospital, Lundt said. Her car did not roll over, but went off the right shoulder of the highway, Londonderry fire Capt. Darren O'Brien said.
Unlucky squirrel causes power outage
DERRY — A rogue rodent met his end while scurrying along a dangerous high tension wire on Bypass 28 Monday morning, but not before knocking out power to that area, including nearby Pinkerton Academy.
A squirrel was to blame, power crews reported, for a power outage along the bypass, and at businesses and locations near the corner of Bypass 28 and Tsienneto Road, including the Irving station, Betley Chevrolet, and Pinkerton.
Derry Police were on the scene to handle traffic flow at the busy intersection since there were no traffic lights working. Pinkerton spokesman Robin Perrin said the school's power went off at approximately 9:30 a.m. and after speaking to power crews, the school remained in session while waiting for power to be restored.
Perrin said the lights came on for about 10 seconds, then went off again. The decision was then made to call busses to pick up students for early dismissal.
The school's power came on at approximately 1:40 p.m. according to Perrin.
"We do have a plan we put into place," Perrin said, stressing Headmaster Mary Anderson keeps the safety of the student body and staff at the forefront. After students left, teachers and administrators met to discuss Pinkerton's plan of action, what worked, and what didn't work, Perrin added.
Public Service of New Hampshire confirmed that the culprit was indeed a squirrel, causing two lightning arresters (protective equipment) to fail. The outage cut power to one circuit at Scobie Pond substation, impacting 1,800 customers, all from Derry, including Pinkerton Academy and Ernest P. Barka Elementary School.
Emery indicted for fatal crash
DERRY — A Derry man has been indicted on felony charges of negligent homicide and is accused of killing one of his passengers in a drunken driving crash earlier this year.
Lester Emery, 20, of Bypass 28, was charged by a Rockingham County grand jury of three counts of negligent homicide along with two felony counts of reckless conduct and aggravated driving while intoxicated.
Each charge carries anywhere between 3 1/2 to 15 years in state prison.
This comes following an accident back on January 17 where Emery and friends James G. Kalabakas, 44, of Derry, and Joseph O'Hara, 20, also of Derry, were injured in the crash. It is alleged Emery, the driver of the 1993 Pontiac Bonneville, was drunk, speeding, and then fell asleep at the wheel. All three men were transported to area hospitals, and Kalabakas later died of his injuries.
