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Crime and Public Safety

Logging truck breaks telephone pole on Willard Street in Leominster

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LEOMINSTER — A telephone pole was snapped in half, bringing down live wires on Willard Street on Monday afternoon.

According to the emergency radio broadcast, the accident happened at 1:30 p.m. in the vicinity of 650 Willard St. The pole was struck by a truck hauling logging equipment. Leominster fire and police departments responded soon thereafter.

Fire Chief Robert Sideleau said the truck was traveling west on Willard Street when it was attempting to turn left. The truck’s equipment caught the electrical wires on the telephone pole. He said National Grid had been contacted and would work to replace the pole so the truck could move.

Despite the damage to the pole, Sideleau said the lines didn’t break and power remained on.

Sideleau said the road would be closed for an extended period but people were still able to access their homes from entering the back way.

At press time, the road had not been reopened.

Correspondent Gary Fournier contributed to this report. 

Building partially collapses on June Street in Leominster on Sunday afternoon

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LEOMINSTER — A sparsely used commercial property at the corner of June Street and Viscoloid Avenue partially collapsed on Sunday afternoon.

Fire Chief Robert Sideleau said about a third of the building’s roof had collapsed and walls were partially bowing out toward the street. Leominster fire and police departments responded to the building around 1:30 p.m. according to the emergency radio broadcast.

“It appears that [with] the weight of the snow and the recent rain about a third of the roof has collapsed straight down in,” Sideleau said. “The outside walls are bowed out, possibly in danger of collapse.”

Sideleau said most of the building, particularly where the damage occurred, was not in use.

The area surrounding the building has been cordoned off and traffic has been rerouted to avoid the area. Pedestrians are also unable to get to the site. Until repairs are made and an engineer gives approval, the building is locked and entry is prohibited.

Following the damage Sunday, Sideleau said the city’s building inspector was working with the owner to ensure necessary repairs were made. Demolishing part of the building is also an option.

National Grid was on scene Sunday to shut off power to the 50 feet by 200 feet structure. Sideleau said there had been some damage to the electrical wires, which posed a fire risk.

While there are several properties abutting the building, Sideleau said he did not feel there was the potential for damage to other properties.

Sideleau added that people should contact the fire department or the building inspector if they knew of a building in similar condition.

No occupant injuries, several pets dead, in Highland Avenue fire Saturday

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FITCHBURG — Occupants of a Highland Avenue home were uninjured following a 2-alarm fire early Saturday morning.

Fitchburg Fire Capt. Anthony Castelli said the call for the fire came in at 5:39 a.m. for a fire at 65 Highland Avenue. The blaze was contained to the basement and first floor of the two-and-a-half story home. Despite the fire, the structure is intact and no determination had been made on the damages.

An eyewitness said heavy fire was showing when firefighters arrived on scene.

While the home’s occupants were able to escape without injury, one firefighter sustained minor injuries. They did not require transport to an area hospital. Castelli added several pets including reptiles perished in the fire.

Leominster and Lunenburg provided mutual aid at the scene.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Castelli said.

Fallen tree knocks out power on King Avenue in Leominster

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LEOMINSTER — Winter weather on Monday morning brought down a large tree and power lines on King Avenue.

According to National Grid, the outage was reported at 10:21 a.m. and approximately 11 people are without power. There is also an outage on intersecting Greenwich Avenue, which was reported at 10:16 a.m. and left approximately 10 people without power. At press time, crews had been assigned to restore power on both streets.

According to an emergency radio broadcast, there were no injuries reported when the tree fell on King Avenue.

Mass. hate group leader subject of N.H. civil rights complaint

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PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — Christopher Hood, the leader of a New England neo-Nazi organization formerly of Pepperell, Mass., is the subject of a civil rights complaint by the New Hampshire attorney general.

In the complaint announced Tuesday, New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella and Portsmouth Police Chief Mark Newport said they were initiating an enforcement action against Hood, now of Newburyport, Mass., and Leo Anthony Cullinan, of Manchester N.H., as well as the hate group NSC-131, for violating and conspiring to violate the New Hampshire Civil Rights Act.

Formella and Newport allege that on July 30, Hood led a group of NSC-131 members, including Cullinan, in hanging banners that read “Keep New England White” from an overpass overlooking U.S. Route 1 in Portsmouth.

“This trespass violated the Civil Rights Act because it was motivated by race and interfered with the lawful activities of others. The slogan on the banners, ‘Keep New England White,’ was plainly motivated by race,” Formella’s complaint against Hood states. “The only reasonable interpretation is that the slogan and group’s intention was to discourage people of color from residing in or visiting and making them feel unwelcome and unsafe in the New England region, New Hampshire, and Portsmouth. Thus, the defendant, through this trespass, intended to interfere with the lawful activities of those traveling along Route 1 by discouraging them from exercising their right to travel freely through the Granite State.”

According to documentation provided by Formella’s office, four Portsmouth Police officers responded to complaints about the sign on July 30 and found about 10 men “gathered on the overpass wearing hats, sunglasses, and face coverings emblazoned with ‘NSC-131 or ‘131.’” Only Hood had his face uncovered.

None of those wearing masks would identify themselves or speak with the officers, but Hood stepped forward to speak with them and provided spoken and gestured instructions to the group, making it clear he was their leader, the complaint states.

After two of the officers informed Hood the group could not hang banners from the overpass without a permit because it violates a city ordinance, Hood instructed the group members to remove the zip-tied banners from the fence, but some continued to hold the banners up by hand before returning to their vehicles and leaving, according to the complaint.

During the approximately 20-25 minute interaction with Hood, Cullinan reportedly drove up to one of the officers in a pickup truck and angrily said, “You’re not interfering with my friends and interfering with our rights.” Cullinan then transported Hood and other participants from the scene, according to the complaint.

For Hood’s conspiracy charge, Formella cited the planning and coordination required to execute the group’s actions.

“He coordinated with at least 10 other individuals to travel to the Portsmouth overpass in three vehicles, produce the banners, acquire equipment to attempt to conceal the identities of those who participated in displaying the banners, and hang the banners from the overpass,” the complaint states. “This incident was not mere coincidence or happenstance.”

According to the complaint, NSC-131 is an unincorporated association with members in multiple New England states and that at least 10 members of the group participated in violating the Civil Rights Act. As an unincorporated association, officials said it can be held liable for violating the Civil Rights Act.

NSC is short for Nationalist Social Club, and 131 is the alphanumeric code for anti-communist action. The hate group participated in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, something Hood, its founder, has bragged about.

According to the Anti-Defamation League, “NSC members consider themselves soldiers fighting a war against a hostile, Jewish-controlled system that is deliberately plotting the extinction of the white race. Their goal is to form an underground network of white men who are willing to fight against their perceived enemies through localized direct actions.”

Officials said there is a maximum civil penalty of $5,000 for each violation. According to the complaints, Formella is seeking $10,000 in penalties for Hood and $5,000 for Cullinan. Additionally, violations of the Civil Rights Act can empower the court to restrain the defendants from committing future violations and other hate-motivated conduct for three years.

However, it will be on the Civil Rights Unit to prove fault at a final hearing.

No major injuries in Wednesday crash on Main Street in Leominster

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LEOMINSTER — No major injuries were sustained in a head on collision in the vicinity of 1400 Main St. on Wednesday.

Police Chief Aaron Kennedy said the collision occurred between a 2004 Nissan Pathfinder was traveling north on Main Street and a 2013 BMW 550i was traveling into the city from Lunenburg. The driver of the Nissan Pathfinder was transported to Leominster Hospital with an undisclosed injury.

The cause of the crash is unknown.