“Hall Pass”
On February 10, 2017, New Hampshire State Trooper Haden Wilber pulled over a vehicle on Interstate 95 in Portsmouth, NH. If the name Haden Wilber sounds familiar, that means you likely read “Rowe’d to Hell”. Haden Wilber is the same trooper who reported Sgt. Justin Rowe to his superiors for the unsolicited and unwanted DM messages Rowe was sending to a female, civilian employee at the Department of Safety. Rowe was investigated, the allegations were sustained, and Rowe got a minimal slap on the wrist, however the NH AG recently charged the Litchfield Police Chief Ben Sargent with Official Oppression for doing the same thing. Rowe and Sargent have more than just unsolicited and inappropriate messages to female subordinates in common. Both also apparently don’t own mirrors.
Back to Trooper Wilber, who stopped the vehicle for failing to clear the snow from its vehicle, which is indeed a violation and is commonly known as “Jessica’s Law”, which was enacted after a 20-year-old woman died when ice flew off a moving motor vehicle, hitting another car, which then collided with the woman’s vehicle.
At the time of this motor vehicle stop, Trooper Wilber was assigned to the NHSP’s Mobile Enforcement Team (MET). MET was formed in 2015, as more and more NH citizens died of overdoses. The members of this team are tasked with interrupting the flow of narcotics into the state, particularly on interstates 93 and 95 in southern New Hampshire, according to an article written by Paul Cuno-Booth on May 16, 2022 (Granite State News Collaborative).
Trooper Wilber stated that the legal stop was a pretext to investigate his suspicion the driver of the vehicle, Robyn White, was transporting drugs. Trooper Wilber claimed he could not remember what drew his attention to White’s car, other than it had out of state plates. According to Booth’s article, Trooper Wilber testified that White’s appearance suggested she used drugs; that she lit a cigarette, which he said could be a sign of nervousness; and that he was not convinced by her stated reason for driving from northern Maine to the “known drug area” of Lynn, MA, and back in a day – to drop off a birthday gift for her son. Trooper Wilber searched White’s vehicle, with consent from White, finding what he suspected and later confirmed to be a small amount of heroin and drug paraphernalia.
Before anyone gets all worked up, pretextual stops are legal (see Whren vs. United States). It is true that the NH ACLU and defense attorneys have criticized MET’s use of pretextual stops, but controversial does not make it illegal. It is also true that MET was the brainchild of Commissioner of Safety Bob Quinn, who has praised MET as a key part of NH’s effort to combat drug trafficking, according to Booth’s article.
Ms. White filed a lawsuit in 2019 accusing Trooper Wilber of illegally searching her bag and “fabricating evidence”, which the state settled for $212,500 in 2022.
There is much more to the story, which has been reported by Paul Cumo-Booth (Granite State News) and Mark Hayward (Union Leader) and there appears to be plenty to criticize Trooper Wilber for, to include writing a sloppy report and failing to document accurately.
There was an internal investigation, which commenced in late 2020, yes you read that correctly, the IA commenced more than 3 years after the event. Gosh, that seems odd, could that have anything to do with the lawsuit that was filed in 2019?
Surely, NHSP had a supervisor in charge of MET? Surely that supervisor would have known or should have known EXACTLY what those in his/her charge were doing? Surely, that supervisor would have reviewed the reports, been aware of search warrant applications, and likely directed his personnel to be aggressive and produce results? In February of 2017 that supervisor would have been Sgt. Mark Hall, who is now a Major, and believed to be next in line to ascend to the rank of Colonel.
The Department of Safety’s Professional Standards of Conduct PSC 42-G.1.3 (Manual of Reports), which covers all rules and regulations regarding the documentation of an incident, states the following:
42-G.1.3. (A) "A case number shall be drawn no later than the next day after an investigation is commenced."
42-G.1.3 (B) "All reports will be submitted WITHIN FIVE (5) DAYS UNLESS OTHERWISE DIRECTED."
42-G.1.3 (C) "Troops and Units will submit reports to Headquarters WITHIN FIVE (5) DAYS OF RECEIPT, UNLESS OTHERWISE DIRECTED."
Trooper Wilber was never accused of NOT turning in a report. It may not have been well written, but he turned one in. This means the Command Staff at Headquarters (Mark Hall and others) knew exactly what had transpired. The stop and arrest occurred on February 10, 2017. This means that his supervisor (Mark Hall) knew about this incident by February 15, 2017, and NH State Police Headquarters knew about it no later than February 20, 2017.
Trooper Wilber joined the NHSP in 2012 and had exactly 5-years with the Division of State Police at the time of the stop on February 10, 2017.
Trooper Wilber was named K9 Trooper of the Year...for 2018! One year AFTER this incident! Clearly, State Police Command had no problem with his actions and conduct in February of 2017.
Trooper Wilber was not only K9 Trooper of the Year for 2018. He was TROOPER of the year for 2018. Out of over 300 Troopers statewide.
Trooper Wilber also has 2 Congressional Law Enforcement Awards, multiple Director's Awards
A Meritorious Service Award, and according to anonymous sources, all of Trooper Wilber’s annual evaluations found him to be "Exceeding Expectations", which is the highest level of performance a Trooper can be rated and is almost never given. These same sources believe Trooper Wilber was on the short list to become the next Sergeant in MET.
White originally filed her lawsuit in October of 2019. It was later amended in February of 2020. Trooper Wilber remained on the road, in MET, for a full year after the suit was filed. The Division was hoping to settle this quietly, without public knowledge. Had they done so, not only would Trooper Wilber still be working for State Police, but he would also likely be the newest Sergeant in MET. It was only after a lawsuit was filed in 2020 that the "Brass" had a problem with how business was conducted by this MET Team member.
You may recall from “Rowe’d to Hell” that Sgt. Justin Rowe was permitted to continue the internal investigation of Trooper Wilber, despite Trooper Wilber being the guy that reported Rowe for being a dirty bird. It’s funny, according to the news articles written by Booth and Hayward, among others, there is no mention of Mark Hall.
Are we to believe that Trooper Wilbur did not inform his immediate supervisor of his actions? Are we to believe Sgt. Hall didn’t know about the search warrants? Are we to believe the Troopers assigned to MET acted outside the direction of the team’s commander?
Are we to believe Commissioner of Safety Bob Quinn and NHSP Colonel Nate Noyes who both denied NHSP’s training of members of MET to use pretextual stops, according to another article written by Paul Cuno-Booth on May 16, 2022 (“Why did I get stopped?” How NH state troopers use minor traffic violations to search for drugs).
RobbiLeaks.com obtained Trooper Wilber’s letter of dismissal. (see #receipts) The letter, written by Noyes, details the internal investigation that began in 2020. It was signed and approved by Robert L. Quinn, the commissioner of the Department of Safety.
“This investigation has exposed your lack of integrity, as well as your unwillingness to apply the law within the correct legal parameters to which you are allowed,” Noyes wrote.
RobbiLeaks.com will not repeat unsubstantiated claims or reveal unverified facts; suffice to say RobbiLeaks.com is receiving plenty of correspondence, from a variety of sources, which calls into question whether either Commissioner Quinn or Colonel Noyes should ever question anyone’s integrity.
According to Booth’s article on April 21, 2022 “Haden Wilber says he became a scapegoat for failures of the Mobile Enforcement Team”, Trooper Wilbur, during the internal investigation, told Sgt. Rowe that MET’s supervisor, Mark Hall, who is now a State Police major, wanted troopers to “push the envelope” and get as many drug cases as possible. Many believe Hall’s next promotion will be to Colonel, is that why Mark Hall was spared scrutiny? Is that why Mark got a HALL PASS?
The majority of those assigned as MET Troopers were junior level. That is, they had fewer than 10 years of experience. If MET was such a high-speed unit, wouldn't you want Troopers with as much experience as possible? The fact is, any Trooper with more than 10 years of experience knew this newly formed unit was a ticking time bomb. There would be a political push to manufacture arrests. Eventually, one or more would go wrong. When it did, the involved Trooper or Troopers would be cut loose. And that is exactly what happened.
According to unnamed sources, Patricia O'Brien, the head of State Police Prosecution, has refused to take ANY MET case to trial. She is allegedly afraid that it will result in bad case law, and she does not want her name attached to it when it does. The same sources claim Rank and file patrol Troopers have been ordered by Troop Commanders to stay away from any MET operation in their area, for fear of "getting stink on them." Sources add, numerous local agencies have also ordered their officers to have nothing to do with any MET operation that takes place in their jurisdiction for the exact same reason.
In addition to Patricia O'Brien of the NH State Police Prosecution Unit, numerous County Attorneys refused to take MET cases to trial. They cited problems with probable cause for the stop as well as search and seizure problems, which would undoubtedly raise 4th Amendment issues at trial. It is because of this that virtually all MET cases now go to federal court. (There is no expectation of privacy in your motor vehicle under federal law.)
The prosecution of these cases falls to the U.S. Attorney. And who is the U.S. Attorney for New Hampshire? Jane Young. Jane Young is the former Deputy Attorney General for New Hampshire. She is very close personal friends with both Commissioner of Safety Bob Quinn, and New Hampshire State Police Major Joe Ebert, who heads up Investigative Services (oversees MET). How convenient? The State Police's team of Constitution trampling miscreants found a work around for their unlawful, unethical searches in U.S. Attorney Jane Young.
MET still exists. Make no mistake about it. They no longer call themselves MET because of the lawsuit. They are a patrol unit attached to the Narcotics Investigations Unit. They still exist, and they are still conducting the same sketchy stops and the same illegal searches. Essentially, the only thing that has changed for them is their letterhead.
According to several previous MET members, then Sergeant Mark Hall, made a common practice of meeting individually with any member who had not arrested someone within the last week or so. His "go-to" phrase was always the same: "Do you really want to be here? Are you sure you want to be part of this team?" This was a passive-aggressive threat. Essentially, "Lock someone up or you go back to regular patrol." Given that MET was provided with the newest vehicles, best equipment, flexible schedules, and virtually unlimited overtime, this was a significant threat to make to a junior level Trooper.
Remember the name Mike Arteaga, who was the trooper that was asked to run the unauthorized criminal query by Commissioner Quinn (“Rules are for Thee, not for me”)? Trooper Artega left MET because Mark Hall was pressuring him as well with the "Do you really want to be here" speech. Trooper Artega is now Sgt. Artega because he failed to cooperate with the AG’s investigation of Quinn and was rewarded for his silence.
Mark Hall went from Sgt in MET to Lieutenant, to Captain, to Major in 4 years. And who was responsible for his career trajectory? Commissioner Bob Quinn. That would be the same Bob Quinn who conducted illegal queries of criminal records for his own personal use and was given a pass by the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office. After all, MET was Bob Quinn's brainchild.
The Division of State Police (and Major Mark Hall) would have us all believe that a Trooper who was performing at the absolute highest level of law enforcement suddenly went off the rails and started violating Constitutional rights. That didn't happen. What did happen was the MET Team, under then Sgt. Mark Hall, took an outstanding Trooper, taught him how to skirt the law and expected him to do so in the name of getting high profile results. They awarded him for his performance and continued to push him. When it all went sideways, they cut him loose, claiming that he operated outside of their expectations.
Trooper Wilber’s attorney, Marc Beudoin, hit the nail on the head. “The state was embarrassed. They were embarrassed that they were getting sued. They were embarrassed that the MET team was in the paper. And they felt that somebody had to pay for this, so they could shift the blame from the State Police not having proper supervision.”
NHSP did not conduct an internal investigation for nearly 4 years. Colonel Noyes allowed his buddy, Sgt. Justin Rowe, to conduct the investigation on Trooper Wilber, despite Trooper Wilber reporting the terminally stupid Rowe for being a dirty bird. And Quinn and Noyes denied any knowledge of the operations of MET and vehemently deny the use of pretextual stops as a tactic, and to make sure the heir apparent, Mark Hall, doesn’t catch any heat, he is promoted to Major.
It seems the “screw-up, move-up” principle is alive and well at NHSP.
