Argument About Painting Job Leads to First-Degree Assault, Other Charges

Salem Police and a K-9 unit were able to track down and arrest an alleged burglary and assault suspect in the woods near Haverhill Road last night.

David R. Konze, 38, of Greenland, was arrested on May 9, 2015, and charged with burglary, first-degree assault, criminal threatening, and falsifying physical evidence.

According to police, officers were called to Haverhill Road for a report of a burglary at just before 11 p.m. last night. While en route, they learned that the suspect had left the home and fled on foot into the woods.

When officers arrived, they spoke to a resident who reported that a man entered an unlocked kitchen door in the rear of his home. The victim confronted the man in the kitchen and the suspect “then began assaulting the male resident and a violent physical fight ensued in the kitchen,” according to Lt. Joel Dolan of the Salem Police Department.

“During the fight the suspect retrieved a knife, which he had brought to the scene, and slashed the victim causing a nearly 6 inch laceration on his abdomen,” Dolan alleged.

The fight continued into the driveway where the suspect reportedly fled into the woods.

A K-9 unit was called to the scene while other officers scoured the woods. One officer reported hearing “loud stomping in the woods and observed the male suspect.” The suspect, later identified as Konze, was ordered out of the woods and reportedly complied. Later, the officer and K-9 unit were able to find “a small sheath knife hanging from a branch,” according to Dolan.

“As a result of the investigation officers learned the suspect and victim knew each other and were arguing over a painting job the victim had been hired to complete,” Dolan stated.

Konze was held without bail and will be arraigned on May 11, in Salem District Court.

Editor’s note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Salem 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.