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November 5, 2009

Public Safety Briefs

Derry woman charged with stealing prescriptions

SALEM — A woman who worked at a Methuen medical company has been charged with stealing prescriptions from her employer, then forging and passing them at two Salem pharmacies.

Kimberly Gynan, 44, of Derry turned herself in to police Thursday on four felony counts stemming from allegedly writing herself fake prescriptions over a five-month period earlier this year.

Gynan is alleged to have stolen the prescriptions from her employer, Branch Medical Group in Methuen, forged and passed 22 of them for hydrocodone and oxycodone at Rite Aid and Walmart pharmacies, both in Salem, police Capt. Shawn Patten said.

The Massachusetts State Police drug task force began investigating the stolen prescription forms earlier this year. When it was determined the prescriptions were being passed in Salem, local police joined the investigation, Patten said.

Police reports have been sent to the county attorney's office, and more charges could be brought against Gynan, Patten said.

"It was a lengthy, detailed investigation, and we were able to bring forward four initial felony charges," Patten said. "Overall, this case will ultimately be handled by the Rockingham County attorney's office."

Gynan could potentially face up to 40 more charges in New Hampshire, and could face charges from Massachusetts, Patten said.

The case remains under investigation.

Man charged in threats on release from hospital

SALEM, N.H. — A Derry man charged with making threats to the director of Southern New Hampshire University's Salem Center is on conditional release from the state psychiatric hospital, prosecutors said.

The threats led to a brief lockdown of the SNHU Salem campus Wednesday evening.

Shawn DeCoste, 31, was arraigned in Salem District Court by video feed from the Rockingham County jail yesterday morning. He is charged with misdemeanor counts of criminal threatening and disorderly conduct.

Prosecutor Bob Prince told the court DeCoste was on conditional release from the state psychiatric hospital in Concord. Hospital officials have notified authorities they want to take DeCoste into their care again.

DeCoste allegedly threatened Linda Richelson, the Salem center's director, during a phone conversation about 4 p.m. Wednesday after being told he could no longer attend the school. The university center at 19 Keewaydin Drive was put on lockdown until Salem police arrived and secured the area. The school was reopened in about an hour, with a police officer assigned to the building for the rest of the evening.

"We followed standard SNHU protocol," Richelson said. "We were very satisfied with Salem police; they responded within two minutes."

Richelson declined to describe the nature of DeCoste's threats, and authorities have not released any details.

Classes were not in session at the time of the phone conversation, and only four people were at the SNHU Salem satellite campus at the time, Richelson said. Classes started on schedule at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

DeCoste was arrested in Derry on Wednesday evening, taken to Salem police headquarters for booking, and then brought to the county jail.

Man arrested in Londonderry burglaries

LONDONDERRY, N.H. — A 32-year-old Massachusetts man was arrested Thursday on charges of stealing about $15,000 worth of jewelry and gold coins from the home of a Londonderry businessman.

Ramia Attia of Sharon was one of a few people who knew Aziz Saba kept a safe in the master bathroom of his Sara Beth Lane house, police said.

Attia, a friend of Saba's nephew, broke into the house in July, forcibly entered the safe and stole the jewelry before fleeing out a window and running away through neighbors' yards, according to police.

Saba, who owns a Nashua Road gas station, was in Lebanon at the time of the burglary, police said.

Police were called to the scene on July 6 after a relative, Chad Saba, and a friend went to check on the house and found a man wearing a mask in the master bathroom on the second floor. The man said he would kill Saba if he entered the bathroom, according to a police affidavit.

After not hearing anyone for several minutes, Saba opened the bathroom door and saw an open window, according to police.

When police arrived, Detective Patrick Cheetham found several jewelry cases and a safe on the floor that had been forcibly opened, he wrote in an affidavit.

Saba told police that only four people knew he kept a safe in the master bathroom. One of those people was his nephew, Faysal Azar.

Azar was arrested by Londonderry police a few weeks after the burglary on charges of cashing bad checks at Saba's Londonderry gas station.

While being held at the Rockingham County Department of Corrections, Azar told his uncle that he had told Attia about the safe a day before the burglary.

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