On Monday June 27, 2011 the Waterville valley police Sgt. John T. Katsirebas Jr. appeared at my parents house to execute a search warrant with the aid of his fellow cronies from the Manchester police. Their reason for search, Numerous items had come up missing from the valley inn, a hotel my girl friend Ashley Benoit and I were staying in while attending a friends wedding that weekend. Some of the items that were allegedly missing were Hotel soap, Hotel bath towels, lawn lamps and two radio’s from the hotel as well as other small items. Their reason for accusing us of the alleged crime, we were enjoying a late night drink in the hotels lobby living room area, leaving the empty bottles behind when we left. Determining that we were the only people up that night, Waterville police assumed we must be the individual(s) who most likely committed this alleged crime.

Upon being issued this warrant I immediately informed the officers that they would be audio & video recorded on a website called porcupine 411 via connection through my cell phone, upon notifying the officers of this I gained consent and continued my recording.

As the officers started the search of the property they immediately began to harass my elderly parents with arrest if they did not turn over the allegedly stolen items. When my parents informed the police they new nothing of any stolen items the police began to tare apart the garage and in-law apartment in their back yard turning up only 2 frs two way radios that did not match the serial numbers on their warrant and some lawn lamps that were placed in the ground and can be purchased at any home depot or Lowes.

Becoming increasingly agitated at their failure of turning up any of the allegedly stolen items on my property, the police began to threaten me, my family as well as my girlfriend Ashley with arrest if we did not tell them we were in possession of allegedly stolen items. When this started to occur we informed the police that we would like to exercise our right to not speak with them with out a lawyer present. This only agitated the Manchester police and caused them to further press us into to speaking to them with out an attorney present and threaten us with arrest if we did not confess to their alleged burglary. The police then went to their cars and retrieved several large cases from the trunks, entering the house with said cases and continued their aggressive search into my parents house refusing to allow the accused people to be present during their search of the property.

As the police continued their un-supervised ransacking of my parents house a police detective came out with an electronic item he claims to be taken from the hotel, stating that the serial numbers on the electronic item matched the serial numbers on their search warrant. We had stated that none of us knew where the item came from. We also asked why we weren’t allowed to be present in the house during the search and inquired as to what was inside the black boxes the police brought inside with them. The police refused to respond to this question and noticed that they were still recorded on porc411, the detective went on to state that it was a felony to record them, I informed him that we have him on recorded audio on porcupine411 authorizing consent to audio and video recording, he stated the following ” I don’t care you free stater dipshit its a felony and your in possession of evidence” The detective who refused to identify himself ripped the phone from my hand terminated the phone call and placed it in his back pocket informing me he will put the phone in my property at the police department once I’m arrested and can only have it back then. On a personal note it is to my understanding that if the police take an item into evidence you don’t get it back until your court proceedings are over with. It is to my belief the officer took the cell phone from me in attempts to delete any video proof of their gross misconduct, however, I’m sure the detective was surprised to find no video stored on the phone. Furthermore I must add that after a short time later my phone began to ring, the police panicked, left the house and ran into the back yard in quite a stir of commotion and worry, it wasn’t until later I discovered what they were so stirred up about, the incoming call, was from someone who heard the video recording on porc411 looking to come and help!

As the police continued their unsupervised dealings inside my parents residence they turned their verbal attack and threats towards my girlfriend Ashley Benoit, who was just a mere bystander and witness in this unsupervised ransacking. Their fuel for this brutal verbal assault, her firearms. Which were stored in a locked closet unloaded and dissembled with the permission of the homeowner, my father Ronald Hooper, a Marine Corps Vietnam veteran, former Police officer and law abiding citizen. The same detective who refused to identify himself continued the verbal assault accusing Ashley of unlawfully purchasing her firearms for other people as well as insisting on charging her with a felony for storing her firearms at someone’s house other than her own and was confiscating them from her. Ashley went on to inform the Manchester police she had purchased the firearms legally at Riley’s sport shop, is a law abiding citizen with absolutely no criminal arrests or convictions and was more than in her right to posses a firearm and store it lawfully as she deemed fit. Ashley continued explain further that she hasn’t been charged with a crime, under arrest nor was her firearms implicated in any crime allegedly committed or mentioned in the search warrant. She also stated that the unlawful confiscation of her firearms by the police is a complete violation of her second amendment right’s. The Manchester Police laughed in her face and stated the following ” Ha sure what ever lady, prove it”. Ashley informed them once again the manchester police were violating her second amendment rights and that she has proof of ownership. The police refused to allow Ashley to retrieve her receipts then went on to photograph and unlawfully take into their possession her legally obtained firearms violating her second amendment right’s. Later I was informed that when Ashley went to retrieve the proof of ownership from where she had them secured, the document were gone. Ashley has since then retrieved all copy’s of the appropriate document’s from the store in which she purchased her firearms and has made several attempts at retrieving them only to be refused their return by the Manchester pd. All calls and voice-mails in attempt to retrieve her unlawfully confiscated firearms have been ignored and un-returned. We are also currently seeking the help of all second amendment right activists to aide and support Ashley in securing the return of her firearms from the “police Officer’s” who stole them from her. Support and email inquiries can be sent to benoit_freenh@yahoo.com

As the police completed their unsupervised ransacking, they congregated outside in my parents back yard in a discussion unheard by any of the witnesses. After their discussion they returned to their cars storing the black mystery cases inside. After doing so he officer who refused to identify himself removed handcuffs from his belt and informed I was under arrest for burglary of the above mentioned electronic item and lawn lamps. I was then Arrested by the Manchester Police.

Upon arriving at the police department I was processed and placed in a holding cell for 2 hours without being allowed to make a phone call for bail or to contact my attorney. During that time the officer who refused to identify himself came to the holding area informing me that he placed the cell phone he stole from into a property bag. (It wasn’t until later the next day I discovered the 16 gigabyte SD card in my phone had been fully erased.) Sometime later, Sgt. Katsirebas also came to speak with me in the holding cell area, he requested I wave Miranda rights and answer some questions for him. I respectfully refused to questioning and stated I would not discuss the case with him or anyone else under any circumstance’s. I was then informed I was to be transported to Campton police department for further processing were I would then be allowed to see the bail commissioner. A short time after that I was transferred into the custody of officer Gary Robinson of the Waterville valley pd in order to be transported to the appropriate county for bail to be set.

Upon arriving at Campton Police, bail was set and posted in the amount of $500.00 and I was released.

It is my goal on Friday to enlist the help of activists willing to aide and support Ms. Ashley Benoit in her attempts to retrieve the firearms stolen from her by the Manchester police! Anyone wishing to show support please contact Me via facebook http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1367613349 Or Ashley http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001850555428 You can also reach us via email at josh.hooper82@yahoo.com

Furthermore, it may not be possible to retrieve the firearms so late in the day because the police department’s secure lock will be closed, there will be another attempt at doing so on Friday July 8th. The exact time will be set in the coming of days!

Thank you,

Josh Hooper & Ashley Benoit

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I spoke w/ a guy this morn at the ‘bucks for about 10min and he was supportive of our outreach efforts to those in gun-run schools. He said that was his main area of interest – communicating to folks about the indoctrination. He said he’s hoping to make it to PorcFest too!

Keep up the good work everyone!