Felon Accused Of Possessing AR Rifle, Machetes Inside Royal Gardens Apartment In Concord

CONCORD, NH — A felon who now lives in Chichester but previously lived at Royal Gardens in Concord is facing a weapon possession charge after an apartment dispute led to police becoming involved in a domestic case and reportedly finding weapons inside the apartment.

In mid-April, a woman called the police to file a complaint against Matthew James Hillsgrove, 48, and have him removed from her apartment. The woman claimed he assaulted her a week before and refused to leave after squatting with her since September 2022, an affidavit stated. An officer accompanied the woman inside to check for damage and have him removed, but he had already left, a report said.

Inside a bedroom, on top of a bed, the officer found “numerous large knives,” a black AR-style rifle with a loaded 15-round magazine next to it, a camouflaged bolt action scope rifle, and two other black rifles, according to an affidavit. The woman became upset when seeing the guns and denied ownership of them, the officer said. She said they had never been in her apartment previously, the report stated. In the kitchen, the officer also found a loaded 30-round AR magazine on a table, the report said.

None of the rifles were loaded and the camo model was found to be a BB gun. The officer also reported another rifle inside a case was also confirmed to be a BB gun.

The woman requested the officer remove the weapons and the officer obliged. During an inventory, six 1.5- to 2-foot-long knives, two AR rifles, and 45 rounds of ammunition were found, the officer wrote.

A check of Hillsgrove found he had been arrested previously and was convicted of a felon in possession of a dangerous weapon in Rockingham County Superior Court in March 2015.

On May 1, Hillsgrove was served with a domestic violence protection order. Two officers, including the reporting officer from two weeks before, went to the apartment and served him with the paperwork.

During a conversation at the apartment, Hillsgrove was accused of stating, “Everything in the apartment is mine,” “I’m the only person who lives here,” and “All of my stuff is here.” The officer asked him if he was at home on April 14, and he said he was not, according to the report. The report stated Hillsgrove said he had been living in the apartment for about six months, but his name was not on the lease. The woman, he said, according to the report, had left a while ago after removing her belongings, and they were the only ones with keys. When asked about the weapons, Hillsgrove said he did own BB guns but was a felon and could not possess any firearms.

“Matthew also mentioned that he did own a few ‘machetes’ that he used for landscaping,” an affidavit said. “Matthew then stated that he didn't really use the machetes for landscaping, but instead kept them because they looked ‘cool.’”

When asked about the AR, Hillsgrove said he “had no clue” how it ended up in his apartment and reconfirmed no one had been with him on April 13, or when he returned on April 14, an affidavit said.

A warrant was issued for his arrest on May 12, and he was arrested later. He had a bail hearing on June 14.

According to superior court records, Hillsgrove failed to appear at the arraignment of the charge on June 22. A warrant was issued for his arrest. Mail to a Matthew Street address in Concord was returned to the court on June 26 and another warrant was issued June 27. Concord police have his address as being somewhere in Chichester.

Hillsgrove’s criminal history dates back about three decades when he was charged with reckless conduct in Merrimack County in August 1993. The charge was remanded later. He was also accused of two forgery charges in Manchester in November 1993 after incidents in August 1993. He was charged with four acts prohibited in December 1993, pleading guilty in February 1994 and violating probation in July 1996 out of Merrimack County. Also, in December 1993, he was accused of commercial bribery, theft, and two receiving stolen property charges in Hooksett. He pleaded guilty to one stolen property charge in February 1994 and the theft, commercial bribery, and other stolen property charge in March 1994. More receiving stolen property charges were issued in Merrimack County in February 1994, but all were nolle prossed in March of that year. Hillsgrove pleaded guilty to an assault by a prisoner charge in January 1995 after an incident at the Merrimack County House of Corrections in Boscawen in July 1994.

In January 2001, he was accused of first-degree assault in Manchester, pleading guilty to the charge in March 2002.

Hillsgrove was charged with second-degree assault in November 2008 after an incident in Concord. He pleaded guilty to the charge in August 2009. In April 2022, he was accused of violating a court order in the case and then missed hearings in June 2022, October 2022, December 2022, and May 22. A warrant was issued June 1, but there was a motion to vacate the order. The case remains active.

In March 2009, he was charged with robbery, reckless conduct, criminal mischief, and conduct after an accident after a June 2008 incident in Concord. He pleaded guilty to the single reckless conduct charge in August 2009.

Hillsgrove was involved in two more drug cases out of Concord — three controlled drug: acts prohibited charges in March 2013, in which he pleaded to a single count in July 2013, and two acts felony counts in October 2014, which led to guilty pleas in April 2015.

In Salem, in June 2014, he was accused of hand guns-felon in possession and two controlled drug: acts prohibited charge. He pleaded guilty to all three charges nine months later.

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