Man Arrested for Not Complying with Officer's Orders

A local man will be in court later today to answer to a slew of charges after holding a stand-off with police in Terrill Park a few weeks ago and allegedly refusing to identify himself.

Michael Courchesne, 24, of Tower Circle in Penacook, was arrested at 2:21 a.m. on July 31, and charged with felony false personation, disobeying an officer, receiving stolen property, and conduct prohibited in parks.

According to an arrest report, an officer was performing patrols on Old Turnpike Road and saw a vehicle parked in Terrill Park and decided to investigate it, due to the early morning hour.

The officer approached the vehicle and spoke with a man sitting in the driver’s seat. The man was asked for his license and refused to give the officer the license. The officer stated to the man that he was required to show a license in New Hampshire when asked by a law enforcement officer but he refused again. The man reportedly asked why the officer was speaking with him and the officer explained that he was in the park after hours, a violation of a city ordinance.

The driver was asked again for his license and unzipped his sweatshirt and showed the officer a New Hampshire State Corrections badge that was around his neck. The conversation continued but again, the driver declined to give a license when asked.

“Don’t you see my badge?,” he reportedly stated.

Another officer arrived and assisted by asking the driver to get out of the vehicle and the man did not comply.

“I’m not giving it to you,” he allegedly stated. “I don’t have to.”

The first officer opened the door of the vehicle and requested that the driver get out and he refused again. The second officer also requested the man to step out of the vehicle and he refused.

“You didn’t stop me,” the man reported said. “Your blue lights aren’t even on.”

The first officer grabbed the man by the wrist and pulled him out of the vehicle and placed him under arrest for disobeying an officer and criminal trespass.

The officer later identified the man as Courchesne and he allegedly “became very uncooperative” toward the officers, questioning the charges, and began to call the officers names and stated that they didn’t know how to do their jobs.

During processing, Courchesne allegedly refused to adhere to demands of the officers, including backing up against the cell door to have his picture taken and allegedly attempted to shield himself and a lieutenant’s corrections badge from the photo. Courchesne allegedly also questioned the arrest and demanded to see a watch commander about the arrest.

“Throughout my entire interaction with Courchesne, he was rude and uncooperative,” the reporting officer alleged.

At one point, according to an arrest report by a sergeant, Courchesne allegedly stated that his father was a lieutenant for the Department of Corrections and he would be contacting the officers and a detective about the case. The sergeant also reportedy threatened to send him directly to the Merrimack County House of Corrections if he didn’t comply with the requests and he cooperated after that, according to the arrest report.

It is unknown why he was in Terrill Park although there have been a number of arrests due to inappropriate sexual behavior, lewdness, and indecent exposure, as well as other charges, during the last decade or so. Courchesne was read his Miranda rights but instead of talking with the officers, he continued to question being asked for his license and being arrested, according to the report. 

He will be arraigned on Sept. 8.

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.