Homeless Man Arrested On Assault, Disorderly Conduct Charges

CONCORD, NH — A local homeless man was arrested and held without bail twice in a month on various charges and picked up on warrant on other charges, according to reports. Bryce Demello, 25, a homeless man now located in Concord, was arrested on March 2, 2018, for resisting arrest or detention and disorderly conduct. He also had an active warrant for assault from an incident on Feb. 12. On Feb. 5, Demello was arrested for felony theft in Concord, picked up on another warrant on Feb. 26, and on Feb. 27, arrested by Rockingham County Sheriffs on a judge’s order to arrest for failure to appear at the status hearing of an original charge of assault by a prisoner.

Editor's Note: This post was derived from info supplied by the Concord Police Department and Concord District Court. It does not indicate a conviction. This link explains the name removal request process for New Hampshire’s Patch police reports.

On Feb. 12, officers were sent to St. Peter’s Church on North State Street at the homeless shelter for a report of an assault where the suspect had reportedly left the area. The officers spoke with a victim while waiting for Concord Fire and Rescue teams to come to the scene to assist. The victim alleged that a subject known as “Bryce” had “shoved him to the ground, just outside the shelter, in the parking lot,” which resulted in a golf ball-sized contusion around his left eye, according to an affidavit.

The victim stated that the incident started when he mentioned to a woman that she had dropped her scarf and mittens on the floor of the shelter and Bryce allegedly yelled, “Mind your own f------ business,” at him. Bryce reportedly began to walk away and the man said that he shouldn't forget his bag, too. The man allegedly yelled again, “Mind your own f------ business.”

After that, the victim left the shelter and began walking away. After he was about 10 feet from the building, the other man allegedly came up from behind him and shoved him to the ground. The victim fell face first on the ground with his head and shoulder hitting the pavement.

After taking a statement, the officer left the shelter in search of the man – later identified as Demello – as well as the girlfriend. He reportedly found then at The Friendly Kitchen on Commercial Street. The reporting officer alleged that Demello denied pushing the victim and stated that he fell on his own, according to the affidavit.

Two days later, the officer met with the victim again at the shelter. The victim had his arm in a sling – he had an X-ray done on the injury and his shoulder wasn’t broken – and was healing from the head injury. The victim was asked if there were any witnesses and he gave the officer the name of another man. That other man, according to the affidavit, alleged that Demello “came down the stairs from behind where (he) was standing, brushed by him, and shoved (the victim) in the back, causing (him) to fall to the ground.”

The officer filed a warrant for Demello's arrest on Feb. 19.

A couple of weeks later, on North Main Street, the city's drug enforcement unit was searching for a suspect in the area and stopped a man to speak with him. During the course of speaking to the man, officers found out that it wasn’t the suspect that the DEU was looking for but, instead, Demello, who had an active warrant for the alleged assault at the shelter. The officers checked a booking photo to confirm it was Demello and prepared to take him into custody but he allegedly took off.

“Demello ran northbound on the sidewalk, up to Domino’s, before running into traffic,” the officer alleged. “Demello ran to (a) parking lot (and) while running across the road, a black pickup truck in the northbound lane, nearest the double yellow, came to a stop to avoid hitting Demello.”

Demello reportedly turned, ran back into the street, and into the Domino’s parking lot. He was almost struck again by vehicles on North Main Street, the officer alleged.

Officers caught up with him at Domino’s where he allegedly squared off with officers and was subsequently brought to the ground and taken into custody.

Along with all the recent arrests, Demello, according to the Merrimack County Superior Court, was also indicted on felony theft earlier this year. Twice before, according to the indictment, he has been convicted on theft-related charges in Hillsborough County Superior Court-North. In 2016, he was indicted on for felony assaults by prisoners in Rockingham County Superior Court after allegedly pushing a correctional officer. Demello was also arrested by Rockingham Sheriffs in 2016, on a judge's order to arrest for failure to appear on a heroin possession charge, and in 2015, on a judge's order to arrest for failure to appear on a falsifying physical evidence charge and two heroin possession charges.

Image via Concord Police.