Man Arrested for July Stabbing in White Park

The Concord Police Department believes it has the man who was allegedly involved in a stabbing incident near White Park in mid-July, according to a statement from Lt. Timothy O’Malley, the commander of the criminal investigations unit for the department.

Michael Bennett, 21, a homeless man now located in Concord, was arrested at noon on Sept. 17, and charged with first-degree assault and second-degree assault, both felonies.

The incident in question occurred at around 2:30 a.m. on July 19, when officers were called to the intersection of Washington and Centre streets for a report of a teen being stabbed. The stabbing occurred inside the park and the male victim was transported to Concord Hospital for treatment.

A Crimeline alert was sent out later that morning and tips developed from that report, according to O’Malley.

Detectives were able to “establish probable cause to arrest Bennett for the stabbing based on information provided by several Crimeline tips and other witness statements,” he stated. Police, O’Malley noted, are not clear on the motive of the stabbing but he added that, “it is clear that both the suspect and victim were familiar with each other and this was not a random event.”

Bennett was arrested at the Merrimack County House of Corrections where he was being held on other charges. He refused bail and was arraigned earlier today.

Bennett, who is formerly of Pembroke, is no stranger to police, according to online arrest reports.

On July 23, a few days after the stabbing incident, he was arrested on theft and bail breach charges for allegedly stealing Twisted Tea at a local gas station. In 2012, he was arrested for disorderly conduct in Pembroke after a fight.

This stabbing as well as other incidents in the West End, including continued criminal shenanigans at a drug den apartment building at 74 Rumford St., prompted community members to both petition the Concord City Council and meet with the community resource officer and other police personnel to attempt to work on the issues of escalating crime and drug use in the city’s neighborhoods.

Editor’s note: The following post was derived from information supplied by the Concord Police Department. It does not indicate a conviction. Click this link to find out how to get a name removed from a New Hampshire Patch arrest report.