Concord Police Arrest Alleged Prowling, Graffiti Tagging Pot Dealer

CONCORD, NH — An early morning alleged tagging session downtown turned into a 75-minute hunt for the perp and after he was caught, drug possession and dealing charges, according to police.

Kai Namesda, 28, of North State Street in Concord, was arrested at 3:15 a.m. on June 27, 2016, and charged with prowling, felony possession of a controlled/narcotic drug with intent to distribute, possession of drugs, and two counts of criminal mischief.

Editor’s note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Concord Police Department. It does not indicate a conviction. This link explains the name removal request process for NH Patch police reports.

Officers were sent to the New Hampshire Technical Institute compound at around 3 a.m. for a report of a suspicious person on the grounds.

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A security employee reportedly told police that they attempted to speak to a subject on a bicycle and when they did, the suspect allegedly fled the area toward I-393.

The subject was described as in his 20s with a dark backpack on a BMX bike. He was also reportedly wearing blue latex gloves and black clothing.

“This subject was of interest because, during an earlier foot patrol downtown, (an officer) came into contact with a subject who was ‘tagging’ with spray paint in one of the alleys downtown,” the reporting officer alleged.

The officer in that case was on foot patrol on North Main Street and reportedly approached a man after hearing “a distinct sound of something being sprayed and someone shuffling around” in the alleyway between Northway Bank and Orange Leaf Froyo at just after 2 a.m. The officer tried to question the man but he reportedly said he was doing "nothing" and quickly rode off on his bike. Units combed the area but were unable to find the suspect.

At just before 3:15 a.m., on Horseshoe Pond Lane near the fire department headquarters, an officer found a subject matching the description. The man – later identified as Namesda – was being questioned by officers when the reporting officer arrived at the scene. The reporting officer alleged that the suspect’s backpack was on the ground, was unzipped, and he observed “multiple clear plastic baggies” of a green, leafy substance.

“(I) informed him that his status was updated from detained to being in formal custody for criminal charges,” the officer noted. “Upon informing him of the charges, Mr. Namesda eluded to the fact that we had no right to look through his backpack. I then informed him that his backpack was almost completely unzipped and what I observed was in plain view. When he tried to argue that I unzipped the back pack, (another officer) stepped in and informed Mr. Namesda that his backpack was in that condition when (he) had stopped him.”

After taking him in to custody, police allegedly found four separate closed Zip-lock bags containing more Zip-lock bags with marijuana inside of the backpack. Some of the bags had writing on them to indicate initials and the price of the bag, according to the report. Due to the “large quantity of marijuana,” Namesda was charged with intent to distribute.

Namesda was also allegedly in possession of mace, a permanent marker, and a New York driver’s license, according to the arrest report.

The officer from foot patrol earlier in the morning also reportedly identified Namesda as the man scene in the alley.

According to the report, the backpack also had “a lot of paint stains of various colors” and symbols and words written on his bicycle in permanent marker allegedly matched the graffiti downtown.

Namesda is due in court on Aug. 8.