May 30
The stolen drink
At approximately 1 a.m. Officer James Fallon responded with several other officers to the Green Martini for a report of a fight in progress.
According to Fallon's report, upon arrival he saw a man being restrained by several of the bar's patrons. Fallon approached the subject later identified as James Gagnon, 43, of Manchester, and asked him to come to the door, but Gagnon ignored him.
Fallon wrote that Gagnon smelled strongly of alcohol, was unsteady on his feet, had heavily slurred speech and bloodshot eyes and his coordination was off. At this point, Fallon wrote that he handcuffed Gagnon and escorted him outside to his cruiser.
“Several minutes later I was approached by Sgt. Michael Pearl who informed me that Gagnon should be charged with simple assault as a result of placing his hands on the throat of a Green Martini employee,” Fallon wrote. Fallon wrote that he informed Gagnon that he was under arrest and took him to the police department.
Once at the police department, Officer Laura Spaulding provided Fallon with statements from the alleged victim and two witnesses. According to the statements, Gagnon entered the bar and picked up a drink that belonged to another patron. Gagnon then drank it. Gagnon was told by one of the witnesses that he had to pay $6 for the drink and then leave. Gagnon refused and then became verbally abusive, the statements read.
According to the witnesses, an employee approached Gagnon and told him that he had to pay for the drink and leave the bar. At this point the statements indicated that Gagnon became verbally abusive toward the employee and then grabbed him by the throat, choking him. Patrons sitting at the bar assisted the employee in removing Gagnon's hands and restraining him until the police arrived.
According to Fallon, Gagnon continued to show signs of extreme intoxication during the time he was in Fallon's custody. Gagnon was unsteady on his feet and had difficulty standing from a sitting position. Several times Gagnon almost fell off the bench in the holding cell.
Gagnon was charged with simple assault. A personal recognizance bail was set for $1,000. Gagnon is due in court on June 18.
June 11
The pork chops
At 3:45 p.m. Officers Joshua Levasseur and Thomas Yerkes were dispatched to Market Basket on Storrs Street to investigate a reported shoplifting.
According to Yerkes's report, upon arrival he spoke with a store manager who told the officers that while he was working he saw Kevin Anderson, 42, of Pembroke, in the store. He said that Anderson had stolen from the store in the past.
The manager said that he went out back and watched Anderson on the store's video surveillance cameras and that Anderson had several items of meat on top of the carriage he was pushing, Yerkes wrote. The manager said that he then saw Anderson put the meat inside the front pocket of his jacket.
According to the manager, Anderson went through the checkout registers with an unknown female subject and paid for the items in his cart, but not the items in his jacket. He began to walk toward the exit when the manager and another employee stopped him and asked him to come to the manager's office.
The manger told the officers that Anderson then pulled out all of the meat from his jacket and admitted to stealing the items. At this point, the manager called the police.
The manager said that he took inventory of the stolen items while waiting for the police to arrive. Apparently Anderson attempted to steal four pork chop center cuts, two packages of beef tenderloin and some steamed clams. The total value for these items was $48.32.
“I contacted Anderson who was sitting in the manager's office, Yerkes wrote. “Anderson said that he did not wish to speak to me about incident. I placed Anderson in custody and escorted him out of the store. Upon leaving the manager's office, Anderson told the manager that he was sorry and that he would not do that it again.”
Yerkes placed Anderson under arrest for theft by unauthorized taking and transported him to the station, Yerkes wrote.
When Anderson and Yerkes arrived to the station, Yerkes wrote that he learned from Lt. Paul Leger that Anderson had been convicted of shoplifting in December of 2000 by the Manchester District Court and in April of 1998 by the Hooksett District Court, as well as other occasions.
Due to Anderson's criminal history involving two prior theft convictions, he was charged with felony level theft. A cash bail was set at $5,000. Anderson was due in court on June 12.
