Man Faces Felony Charges, Accused Of Smashing Door At Concord Store

CONCORD, NH — A homeless man in Concord was arrested in August on burglary and mischief charges after an incident at a South Main Street gas station and market.

Around 3:30 a.m. on Aug. 21, several officers were sent to the Mobil Kwik Stop on South Main Street for a report of a possible burglary and alarm activation. A witness said a man in a red shirt and shorts had smashed a door at the store and then fled the area and headed into a nearby wooded area.

Officers searched Storrs Street and saw a person moving in the woods. An officer pointed cruiser headlights where the man was seen and reported he crouched down behind some shrubs. Police got closer to the man and reported him to be “covered in blood” and matching the description of the man the witness saw fleeing the gas station.

The man was identified as Joseph Brian Deccola Sr., 52, a homeless man.

Deccola was accused of admitting to going into the gas station after another person smashed a door at the business. He described the other person, and officers searched the area, a report said. Concord fire and rescue teams arrived to bandage Deccola, who had injuries to his leg, right shin, and right thumb, an affidavit said.

Deccola said he was recently kicked out of a sober house in Portland, Maine, and arrived in Concord 48 hours before, the report said. He met the second man and agreed to burglarize a jewelry store downtown, an affidavit said. Deccola was accused of not knowing the second man’s name but said, ultimately, they decided against the jewelry store job because there was only sterling silver and other items inside. He said the other man also had a knife and was considering robbing a person, the report said.

Later, Deccola said, the second man suggested burglarizing the Kwik Stop, found a rock, and smashed a store window, the affidavit said. After that, Deccola stole scratch tickets, lighters, and three packs of Marlboro menthol cigarettes and left the area, the report said.

A sergeant found the stolen items not far from where the officers were holding Deccola, an affidavit stated.

The witness was given a ride to the scene, and they accused Deccola of being the man who burglarized the store.

The reporting officer said Deccola, while sitting on the ground, appeared to eye his firearm and asked him why there was no cover on it — “which would be easy for someone to take it,” the report said. After this, “he made a comment where he asked me if I would shoot him if he were to stand up and run away,” the officer wrote. The officer and a sergeant arrested him and took him to police headquarters.

During processing, Deccola requested to call his attorney but did not recall their phone number, and questioning him stopped, the affidavit said. He then requested to be taken straight to the county jail. The reporting officer went to speak with a watch commander and accused Deccola of pulling down his pants and urinating in the drain of the jail cell. He was then taken to county, the report said.

Another officer, who spoke with an employee later, was told the damage to the door would cost $2,000 to repair, making the charge a felony.

Deccola was charged with burglary and criminal mischief, both felonies, and criminal mischief and breach of bail charges.

Deccola was initially held on $1,500 cash bail. On Aug. 31, he was released on personal recognizance bail after committing to attend a recovery program. Deccola is due back in Merrimack County Superior Court for a dispositional conference on Nov. 21.

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