Police Captain's Untimely Death Was A Suicide: Nashua Chief

NASHUA, NH — The Nashua Police Department is mourning one of its own this week after a long-time police officer and resident of the city took his own life while visiting family in Seattle, Washington. Capt. Jonathan Lehto, a Nashua resident who attended schools in the city, had been working for the department for 20 years. The department was informed of his untimely death Monday, according to Chief Michael Carignan.

Carignan announced Thursday that Lehto took his own life and that members of the department are "shocked and saddened by the tragic event."

Lehto, from early on in his life, wanted to be a police officer, and was hired by the department in 1999, Carignan said. He worked in the patrol division and detective's bureau.

"Jon’s leadership, knowledge, and demeanor earned him a promotion to sergeant," the chief said. "He was a skillful and well-regarded patrol supervisor and detective supervisor."

As a leader in the department, he assisted both officers and detectives and was later transferred to the legal bureau, prosecuting cases.

"(He) quickly became a respected police prosecutor with a reputation as someone who was easy to work with," Carignan said.

Lehto was recently promoted to captain and excelled at stressful and challenging assignments, he added.

Carignan said it was with the support of his family that he shared the circumstances of his death with the public. The department, he added, would also establish a peer support group for employees. He thanked the community for its support during this difficult time for the department and Lehto's family.

Read Carignan's full statement on the police department's Facebook site.

A free, 24/7 confidential service is available that can provide people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress, or those around them, with support, information, and local resources. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

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