Merrimack Man Busted for Heroin, Assaulting an Officer

A local man was arrested last night in the Queen City after allegedly attempting to conceal heroin by swallowing it, according to police.

Corwin Dukes, 51 of Merrimack, was arrested on Sept. 16, 2015, and charged with possession of a controlled drug, falsifying evidence, resisting arrest or detention, and simple assault on a police officer.

Editor’s note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Manchester 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 police report.

According to a police report, while patrolling the area around Pine Street, an officer observed a Chevrolet Malibu parked on the street near a local pub. Two men reportedly exited the car and entered the pub. But less than 10 minutes later, they exited the establishment and left the area.

The officer followed the vehicle and “observed a motor vehicle infraction (failure to use turn signal)” and stopped the vehicle at Lake Avenue and Elm Street. During questioning, the driver and the passenger stated that they stopped by the pub for a beer but didn’t consume any alcohol at the establishment. The passenger, Dukes, allegedly “was speaking incoherently and appeared to have an object in his mouth.” The officer thought that Dukes might be trying to allegedly hide evidence, like an illegal substance, from the officer, so he “physically grabbed hold of Dukes and ordered him to spit out the contraband,” according to Lt. Brian O’Keefe of the Manchester Police Department.

“This motion caused Dukes to push him away, which caused the officer to fall to the ground,” according to O’Keefe. “Dukes landed on top of the officer and struck him in the face, causing his glasses to fall to the ground. The violent struggle continued as Dukes continued to fight with the officer by punching him and wrestling with him as they remained on the ground. (The officer) struck him several times as Dukes remained on top of him, but finally managed to reverse positions before placing handcuffs on him.”

The item retrieved allegedly tested positive for heroin. Both Dukes and the officer sustained minor injuries during the scuffle.

“It appears the two men drove to the area so Dukes could purchase heroin,” O’Keefe alleged.

The driver was cleared to leave after Dukes was taken into custody and held. He was arraigned this morning.

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