Concord Felon Arrested On Handgun Charge After Domestic Incident

CONCORD, NH — A felon from Concord faces a gun possession charge after being accused of lying about getting his record expunged after a drug dealing conviction more than two decades ago.

Officers were sent to Canton Circle around 9 a.m. on July 1 to investigate a past tense domestic incident and a felon who might have a handgun. A woman accused John J. Gove, 48, of Canton Circle in Concord, of striking another woman on June 24. The complainant told police Gove was a convicted felon and had recently shown a neighbor a black .45 ACP Hi-Point handgun he acquired, an affidavit said.

Before arriving at the home, the reporting officer ran a report on Gove and found he was arrested on a drug dealing charge in January 2000 by New Hampshire State Police.

Three officers went to speak with Gove, talking to him in his driveway, about an anonymous report that he owned a handgun and was involved in a domestic incident previously.

“John laughed and indicated that nothing happened,” the affidavit said and called the incident “a verbal argument.”

When asked if he was a felon, Gove said, “I was,” the officer wrote, explaining he was arrested and convicted of selling drugs and did five years in prison for it. However, the report said Gove said he went through the “process” of getting his felony expunged. When asked to explain the process, Gove said, “You know, I went to court and s***,” the report said.

Gove was questioned about firearms in his home, and he admitted to having a pellet gun in his garage, the affidavit said. Officers went to check out the garage, asking him to stay outside, but Gove “stood in the doorway” and informed the officer where the pellet was, the report said. Gove then walked into the garage and sat down on a couch while the officers confirmed it was a pellet gun, the report said, which it was. When asked about other weapons, he replied that he did not have any, the officer wrote. However, one of the other officers pointed to a handgun on a shelf.

“John instantly stood up in an attempt to reach for it,” the officer wrote. “I instructed John to sit down and not reach for the gun.”

That gun, too, turned out to be a pellet gun. When asked about it, the affidavit accused Gove of saying, “I forgot.”

The reporting officer asked again if there were any handguns in the home and accused Gove of picking up a biker jacket, and placing it on the couch. He “appeared to be very nervous and agitated,” picking up two drum sticks and hitting them on different items in the garage. When asked again about a gun, Gove was accused of denying he had one.

The officer who noticed the handgun on the shelf saw what appeared to be a box of ammunition on the couch and questioned Gove about it. He confirmed the box was heavy and there was ammo in the box. Gove was asked why he needed a box of ammo if he did not possess a firearm and was questioned about what was under his jacket.

“John started to reach for the jacket, but we instructed him not to,” the officer wrote. “I then picked up the jacket and saw a black handgun sitting on the couch still inside a fabric holster.”

The ammo from the box matched the gun, the report said. The officers accused Gove of appearing “very anxious” and “making suspicious movements that made officers nervous.” They asked him to come outside to continue being questioned and seized the handgun. After the seizure, he was accused of saying it was OK because he “wasn’t allowed to have it,” the officer wrote.

An employee from the U.S. Attorney’s Office confirmed Gove was convicted of dealing marijuana in January 2001 and served six months in prison. He was convicted again for supervised release violation in April 2002, and served another five months. The employee confirmed Gove was a felon and had never applied for or received expungement, the affidavit said.

A warrant was issued for his arrest, and Gove was arrested on a single felony count of felon in possession of a dangerous weapon on July 25.

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