Also on today’s menu:
Easy WOW Trail Extension Derailed
Deadly Force Deemed Appropriate
Gail Ober reports that complaints about drunkenness, overt drug use, and public urination have prompted the Laconia City Council to set aside $20,000 to assist police in developing a plan to deal the homeless population that uses city parks as living quarters.
People who attended an Arts in the Park musical performance sponsored by the Belknap Mill Society last Friday complained to city officials who then relayed the concerns to him, said Police Chief Matt Canfield.
Canfield said he is working with the Mayor’s Homelessness Task Force, mental health agencies, representatives from the three area homeless shelters, and local drug recovery program leaders to set up a series of meetings in the city’s six wards in hopes of productive discussions on the matter.
Easy WOW Trail Extension Derailed
The board of directors of the nonprofit Winnipesaukee-Opechee-Winnisquam (WOW) Trail, overseeing the multi-use trail connecting Laconia and Belmont, were hoping to extend the trail into Meredith along a railroad track, displacing the excursion train that now operates along that line, but in addition to opposition from railroad supporters, their plans suffered a setback when the Meredith Board of Selectmen voted, 3-2, not to support a feasibility study for the trail extension.
Selectman Mike Pelczar told the Laconia Daily Sun that residents whose land would be divided if the trail goes through their property objected to the plan, and selectmen also were worried about the legal implications. “We have three communities in Meredith that could or could not file a lawsuit to stop it, and the town’s responsibility for who’s on it, maintaining it [is another factor],” he said. Pelczar said he would support some kind of trail, but not the current proposal.
The WOW Trail board has faced similar objections from Laconia residents who fear a trail going through their backyards would lead to litter, trespassing, and crime. Mayor Andrew Hosmer paused the discussion to try and work out an alternate route that would satisfy everyone, but obtaining easements and building a new trail would be much more expensive than tearing up railroad tracks and using the existing railroad bed.
WOW Trail President Allan Beetle said the problem to overcome is gaining the public’s confidence that the trail would be a good idea. “What’s the best way to give the entire community confidence that it’s been done properly and we have a good pulse in how interested and committed the community is in this project?” Beetle asked. “If they’re not, then we’re done with this project. But if there’s tremendous interest from both residents and people who visit, maybe we should continue on.”
Deadly Force Deemed Appropriate
Attorney-General John Formella has ruled that the use of deadly force by Nashua Police Officer John Colangelo against 59-year-old William Case on September 20, 2019, was justified under the law. The June 30 ruling noted that, under New Hampshire law, the use of force is justified when an officer “reasonably believed that such force was necessary to defend himself or herself or a third party from what the officer reasonably believed was the imminent use of deadly force.”
The incident began with a report that a man had threatened a pedestrian with a firearm. When Colangelo and other officers confronted Case at his home, they saw him holding “what appeared to be a knife.” They withdrew while waiting for backup assistance. Additional officers arrived and police also brought in a BearCat armored vehicle. Case refused to come out over a two-hour period but, about 12:30 a.m., he opened a side door while holding a long gun, which he pointed toward officers positioned by the BearCat. Colangelo fired his rifle at Case, and another officer, Matthew Foss, fired a shotgun loaded with less-than-lethal rounds. Case either fell or went back into the house, shutting the door behind him.
When Case continued to disobey requests to come out, police fired teargas into the home, which led to the man coming out, unarmed. “He had a gunshot wound to his upper torso, as well as additional trauma to his torso consistent with injury sustained from a less-than-lethal projectile,” the report states.
Police found an air rifle inside the home, near the door.
“Based upon all the facts and circumstances of this case, the Attorney General has concluded that it was reasonable for Police Officer John Colangelo and Police Officer Matthew Foss each to believe, when he fired his own weapon at William Case, that Mr. Case posed an imminent threat of deadly force, and that deadly force against Mr. Case was necessary in order to protect himself as well as nearby police officers from that perceived imminent deadly threat,” Formella concluded.
Please Support Our Efforts
The News Café is a virtual meeting place where we discuss the news of the day: local, statewide, national, and international.
An offering by the Liberty Independent Media Project, the News Café does not rely on advertising, as most media outlets do, freeing us to provide an independent focus on events and cultural issues. The project instead relies on direct monetary support from donors and subscribers, as well as providing news to other media outlets.
If you like what we’re doing, and want to see more local news you will not find elsewhere, please give what you can.
Subscriptions to this newsletter are available for as little as $5 per month. Subscribers can share their knowledge, thoughts, and questions about any topic, and we may select some of those subjects for more in-depth analysis.
If you’re unable to pay but still want to receive all of the free public posts in your in-box, click the Subscribe button and select a free subscription.