Odds & Ends
In “Shooting to the Top”, Volume II, RobbiLeaks exposed the negligent discharge of a Colt M-4LE patrol rifle (essentially an AR-15) by Trooper John Harris while inside the Troop E barracks, in Tamworth. Harris had a probationary Trooper with him, and another Trooper was in the next room at the time of the negligent discharge. Harris’ shot traveled into the ceiling duct work and stopped just before it would have entered the DMV office directly above.
Instead of initiating an internal investigation, the Division of State Police went into full speed cover-up mode. No other independent law enforcement agency (i.e. Tamworth PD or Carroll County Sheriff’s Office) were notified. Harris’ own supervisor, Sergeant Nick Lavesque, told him, “Don’t worry about it.” Essentially, nothing happened to Trooper Harris for what amounts to Felony Reckless Conduct. In the previous article, RobbiLeaks cited cases where civilians were charged with felonies for the very same action: negligently discharging a firearm inside an occupied building. Well, the ante was just upped…
On Wednesday, January 3, 2024, just a couple weeks ago, Concord Police Officer Jamel Vilmont allegedly discharged a firearm in his Manchester apartment. No one was injured, but the round traveled through the wall and into the adjoining apartment. Manchester police officers responded to the scene, conducted the investigation, and determined the round came from Vilmont’s apartment. Vilmont was immediately fired by Concord P.D., and subsequently arrested and charged by Manchester PD with Felony Reckless Conduct. (See attached NH Patch article in “Receipts.”)
How is it that two sworn police officers from different agencies, engage in the exact same conduct, and one isn’t so much as fired, while the other one is not only fired, but charged with a felony? How does that happen? How has the NH Department of Justice Public Integrity Unit not stepped in? Anyone following RobbiLeaks knows the Division of State Police engages in some pretty shady stuff, but the DOJ is now aware of both cases. In this instance, there may be a little bit more to the story.
Did we neglect to mention that Trooper John Harris is white, and former Officer Jamel Vilmont is, you guessed it, black? Did we omit that part? Oops. Exact same profession. Exact same actions. Exact same conduct. The white Trooper gets a pass from the Division of State Police and the DOJ. The black Officer gets fired, arrested, and charged with a felony. Politicians love the word “optics.” Well, Governor Sununu, Attorney General Formella and Commissioner Quinn, what do you suppose the “optics” are on this one?
In a case of pure “You can’t make this stuff up,” just last Thursday, a teenager named Jayden Ballam-Quiah was arrested in Concord for recklessly discharging a firearm. (See Patch Article in Receipts.) Ballam-Quiah allegedly touched off a few rounds on Hanover Street. What is interesting is that no property was damaged by the shots, unlike in the Harris and Vilmont shootings. Still, Ballam-Quiah was charged with felony reckless conduct for the discharge of the firearm.
Would anyone like to guess what color Mr. Ballam-Quiah is? Yup. He’s black. Another black man, this one a civilian, gets charged with felony reckless conduct for firing a weapon. Meanwhile, the white New Hampshire State Trooper, who recklessly fired his assault rifle in an occupied building, near bystanders, and caused damage, does not get disciplined, fired, arrested or charged.
Does anyone know the phone number for the ACLU? Asking for a friend…
As if the above instance (as well as the many previous volumes we’ve posted) is not enough to convince RobbiLeaks readers of the arbitrary and capricious nature of the Department of Justice and the Division of State Police, we now turn to the case of Sergeant Russ Holmes. Or as we like to put it, Reason #863 why no sane person should consider working for the Division of State Police.
On February 6, 2023, Sergeant Holmes was on duty in his marked State Police cruiser in the Town of New Durham. As he approached an intersection, another vehicle failed to stop or yield the right of way. As a result, Sgt. Holmes cruiser struck the other vehicle. Sgt. Holmes sustained soft tissue injuries to his back and neck, as well as a concussion. The operator of the other vehicle was deemed at-fault and received a warning.
In 2020, Sgt. Holmes suffered a concussion in another crash where he was rear-ended at 55 miles per hour. The operator in that crash was charged with vehicular assault. Long story short, both injuries occurred on duty, were work related, and the fault of another. In one case, it was blatant criminal actions…vehicular assault. (See Sgt. Holmes’ letter to the Division in Receipts.)
During the two separate periods of recovery, which were months long, Sgt. Holmes received exactly ONE voicemail from a State Police Captain, checking in on him. He endured months of pain and numerous visits with physicians, including neurologists for tests. There were countless sessions with therapists to try and regain a standard of life. And during all of this, the State Police Command Staff and the Commissioner of Safety managed one single voicemail to check in on him. Classy.
Sgt. Holmes was eventually deemed no longer fit for duty by his treating physician. This resulted in the accidental disability retirement of Sgt. Holmes.
Because of the severity of the injuries, Sgt. Holmes missed considerable work prior to his accidental disability retirement. This leave time represented a significant financial loss to Sgt. Holmes, and it impacted not only his buyout at retirement, but his pension calculation. In accordance with NH RSA 21-I:43-a, Sgt. Holmes requested the reinstatement of his “Sick Leave” time, because the cause of the loss was duty-related, and the injuries were the result of the criminal actions of another.
To simplify the process, Sgt. Holmes sought out another State Police Sgt who had been injured in a similar incident. This Sgt. applied to have his leave reinstated and it was granted. Given that the other Sgt. had been injured in a motor vehicle crash caused by another, Sgt. Holmes felt confident his leave would be reinstated, especially since the request letter was worded almost the same as the other Sgt’s.
To no one’s surprise, Sgt. Holmes was denied his leave reinstatement by the Commissioner of Safety, Bob Quinn, who holds the ultimate authority in such matters. Arbitrary and Capricious. No one in New Hampshire’s state government embodies those words as Bob Quinn. Once again, he has proven that there really are no standards within the Department of Safety and specifically, the Division of State Police.
Caveat Emptor (“Let the buyer beware”). If you, or someone you know, is considering working for the Division of State Police, this is the treatment you can expect.
***************************************************************************
RobbiLeaks recently learned of the promotion/assignment of Sgt. Steve McAulay to Assistant Unit Commander of the Major Crime Unit. You may recall that McAulay was the detective who neglected to write and submit reports pertaining to the Farmington double homicide where two women were brutally murdered. This failure to perform his requisite duties resulted in a mistrial of the suspect. (A new trial is scheduled to begin in May of 2024.)
After this unprecedented case of dereliction of duty, one would expect a demotion and removal from Major Crime, but no. In a case of “How could you do something so blatantly stupid,” the Division of State Police chose to promote McAulay to Detective Sergeant. This put him in the role of lead homicide investigator. Yes, we are serious.
Well, the Division was not satisfied with that move. McAulay is now the #2 in command of the Major Crime Unit. He is now supervising the Detective Sergeants in the Major Crime Unit. If we may borrow an adage from education: It appears “Those who can, do investigations. Those who cannot…get promoted and supervise.” We anxiously await the promotion of McAulay to Lieutenant of the Major Crime Unit. This should be a hoot!
As a side note, to make room for Sgt. McAulay as Assistant Commander for the Major Crime Unit, Sgt. Justin “50 Shades” Rowe was transferred to the Cold Case Unit, also known as “The Land of Misfit Toys.” While some very competent Detectives have served in the Cold Case Unit, many times it has served as the dumping grounds for screw-ups. Given Rowe’s relentless, unprofessional, and harassing pursuit of a female civilian employee, it is likely this is the Division’s best effort at hiding him from public scrutiny.
***************************************************************************
RobbiLeaks also recently learned of an alleged at-fault cruiser crash involving Captain Vic “The Secretary’s Romeo” Muzzey. According to an inside source, Captain Muzzey openly admitted to, “being distracted by something else” when he rear-ended a car. While Muzzey apparently did not state what distracted him, the likely source of distraction was either his cell phone or his Mobile Data Terminal (MDT). In any case, Muzzey’s reported statement amounts to a confession to the offense of Negligent Driving, contrary to NH RSA 265:79-b. Given that numerous Troopers have been harshly disciplined for the same offense, RobbiLeaks readers can only wonder to what lengths the Division will go to cover this one up.
Finally, we can all relax now that the New Hampshire primary has come and gone. Former President Trump performed as we all expected, despite the number of democrats who registered as independent and voted against him. Nikki Haley probably should have read the RobbiLeaks article where we accurately predicted Chris Sununu would not run for president. An endorsement from a governor who would have finished no better than 4th in his own state primary really isn’t the campaign boost a candidate needs. Fortunately, this likely denotes the end of the political careers of both RINOs.
Things are starting to heat up, RobbiLeaks readers. Remember, always assume there’s more to come because there usually is. Stay tuned.
