Fake New Hampshire Temp Plate Leads To Drug Charges Against Massachusetts Woman

CONCORD, NH — A woman now living in Massachusetts but with past ties to New Hampshire was arrested again on felony charges last month after a traffic stop in Concord.

Around 10:30 p.m. on Sept. 19, an officer monitoring traffic on Hall Street saw a Honda minivan drive by with numbers on a temporary paper license plate that was not legible. The vehicle was pulled over at Hall and Water streets, and the officer confirmed most of the numbers were not readable, the plate was not the proper size, and did not look real.

As the officer approached the driver, Colleen R. Mitchell, 26, of Glendale Road in Stoneham, MA, he accused her of “trembling” and appearing to be nervous. The driver described the inside of the minivan to be “very cluttered,” with trash and bags strewn about, as well as several butane lighters, sealed brown bags in the rear, and a bicycle, too.

The officer said Mitchell admitted to replacing the plate after the previous one “had fallen off,” an affidavit stated. When asked for her license and registration, Mitchell gave the officer the vehicle registration but said her license was suspended, the report said, for failure to appear in court in April 2020 for a default payment. A check of her record also showed prior arrests for drug possession and sale of a controlled drugs, the affidavit stated.

Other officers arrived, and while speaking with Mitchell, the officer saw a glass jar of mushrooms next to her, the report said. When asked if there were any other drugs in the vehicle, she was accused of saying, No. But after being arrested, the officer found a baggie of a white crystal-like substance covered in white powder, later field tested to be crystal methamphetamines, in the pocket of her sweater, an affidavit said.

A passenger in the minivan, a man in his early 30s, was asked if there was anything in a backpack at his feet that might prove his identity, but he again said, No. A second officer requested to search the bag, but he said, No, the report stated.

“It’s OK,” Mitchell said while reaching over, opening the bag, and removing a jar of mushrooms, according to the report, stating they were hers.

Police took Mitchell to police headquarters for booking on two felony controlled drug charges as well as driving after suspension and suspension of vehicle registration charges, while police applied for a search warrant on the minivan. She declined to sign a consent search form, the report said. Later, though, she changed her mind and agreed to allow police to search the vehicle. They reported finding a meth pipe under the front passenger side floorboard, an affidavit stated.

According to superior court records, Mitchell has two other active drug cases. She was charged with eight drug charges in Lebanon after an incident in March 2020. After failing to appear in court on a final forfeiture hearing in August 2020, the state confiscated $2,611 seized during the arrest. A final pretrial hearing in the case is scheduled for Nov. 28.

In October 2019, in Lebanon, she was arrested on five drug charges, including a meth sales charge. Mitchell failed to appear in court on dispositional and show cause hearings on Oct. 19, and a warrant was issued for her arrest.

The October 2019 case also involved Adam Beck of Webster and Wilmot Flat, who is currently serving seven years in prison for dealing drugs all around the capital region.

Mitchell failed to appear in Merrimack County Superior Court for arraignment, and a warrant was issued for her arrest on Oct. 19.

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