Pubdate: Sat, 29 Jan 2005
Source: Foster's Daily Democrat (NH)
Copyright: 2005 Geo. J. Foster Co.
Contact:  http://www.fosters.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/160
Author: Douglas P. Guarino, Democrat Staff Writer

EVENTS UNFOLD DURING TASK FORCE INVESTIGATION

BRENTWOOD -- The 200-page report released by the Rockingham County 
Attorney's Office Friday may not have found sufficient evidence to charge 
anyone connected to the alleged assault of a Portsmouth police officer, but 
it does state that a 10-month investigation into the St. Patrick's Day 
incident raised "disturbing facts" about the New Hampshire Attorney 
General's Drug Task Force.

What follows is a description of events that started it all, as described 
in the report:

Paddy's Restaurant

Members of the Drug Task Force and other police officers, including 
Detective Steve Arnold of the Portsmouth Police Department, were at Paddy's 
from about 7 to 11 p.m.

Toward the end of the evening, there were heated words between Officer 
Patrick Kilbreath of the Dover Police Department and Arnold and Officer 
Kyle True of the Newmarket Police Department and Arnold.

There was also, the report states, pushing and shoving between True and 
Arnold. Arnold described an incident in which he was pulled upright off his 
chair by True. Witnesses say Arnold ended up on the floor of the restaurant.

Police officers, civilians and the employees of the restaurant who were not 
involved heard the commotion and witnessed the exchanges, the reports 
states. At about 11 p.m., a Paddy's assistant manager asked the officers to 
quiet down, finally asking them to leave because of their behavior.

Later, True asked Arnold to talk to him outside. As the two men walked 
outside, Arnold noticed Officer Tom Southwick of the Raymond Police 
Department removing his shirt and standing outside in a muscle shirt, 
despite the fact that it was snowing.

In the parking lot, the discussion between True and Arnold turned into 
another altercation, with both of them ending up on the ground with Arnold 
on top of True.

Southwick then grabbed Arnold and threw him away from True, as witnessed by 
civilians, and other police officers stepped in and broke up the fight.

When notified of the incident in the parking lot, restaurant management 
called the Portsmouth Police Department. By the time Portsmouth officers 
responded, however, the altercation was over and the participants had left 
the parking lot.

The officers involved in the Paddy's incident have since met and "buried 
the hatchet" over the accident. A lot of the officers involved have been 
subject to internal investigations by their respective chiefs, the report 
states.

"In essence, at Paddy's Restaurant a number of police officers had been 
drinking, got rowdy, got in physical confrontations, got caught and got 
investigated by their chiefs," the report states.

"Unfortunately, the problem and investigation does not end there," the 
report adds.

Gilley's Restaurant

During the early morning hours of the next day, at Gilley's Restaurant in 
downtown Portsmouth, another incident occurred.This one involved two 
civilians as well as DTF members Southwick and Officer John Petrosh of the 
Exeter Police Department.

According to the report, Petrosh took offense to being bumped or looked at 
by another person inside Gilley's. The actual details of how the 
confrontation began or who instigated it are not clear. The confrontation 
did involve shoving.

Also according to the report, the cook at Gilley's threw at least one of 
the individuals out of the restaurant and then called the police. True and 
Southwick also left Gilley's.

Outside the restaurant, the confrontation resumed between the civilians and 
Petrosh and Southwick, with blows apparently being exchanged. True and 
Kilbreath broke up the fights, without identifying themselves as police 
officers. The other victim, who has not been identified, was escorted away 
from the fight by True.

When Portsmouth police officers responded to the calls about the fights, 
the crowd scattered. The officers found one of the civilians, who had been 
in a fight and was clearly intoxicated. The civilian had taken off his 
glasses prior to the fight and could not accurately identify any 
individuals who may been been involved.

Officer David Colby, who had gone to the Police Academy with True, 
recognized him and talked to him. None of the members of the DTF 
volunteered information to the investigating Portsmouth officers about the 
fights.

The responding Portsmouth officers were unable to determine much of what 
occurred or identify the participants and dismissed the incident as another 
fight between the civilian and unidentified individuals drinking to excess.

"In summary, the DTF members, Southwick and Petrosh, were either involved 
in assaulting civilians, involved in mutual combat, or possibly defending 
themselves," the report states. "At this time, we do not now which is true. 
Thus, without further witnesses, there is not enough evidence to bring any 
criminal charges against anyone."

The spark

The second altercations at Paddy's between True and Arnold, led to the 
report's allegations that task force members drank on the job.

The incident is described in a report compiled by Portsmouth Police Capt. 
Bill Irving:

Sometime prior to the event, a Durham police officer assigned to the task 
force was wired and doing an undercover drug buy. His team members were 
monitoring the wire.

Apparently, when he came out from doing the buy, he found that his team 
members were drinking alcoholic beverages in the car while monitoring his 
activities. He was extremely upset and reported the incident.

An investigation apparently cleared the task force members. They all denied 
drinking during this incident.

True, however, did not answer the question when asked. He replied that he 
would not answer without speaking to a lawyer.

The dispute between True an Arnold was apparently over whether Arnold had 
"ratted" True out over the incident.
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MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager