HAMPTON, N.H. – A Memorial Day motorcycle theft caught on camera has left owners at the L Street Tavern in Hampton, New Hampshire, stunned.
“The bike was stolen off the patio in broad daylight,” L Street Tavern owner, Terry Diadone, said.
Motorcycle to benefit Salisbury family battling Alzheimer’s
This was no ordinary motorcycle. This was a custom-made Harley-Davidson that’s been parked on the patio of the L Street Tavern for past several weeks. The motorcycle was to be raffled off to help raise money for a Salisbury family battling Alzheimer’s. The fundraiser helped raise $23,000 for family. The Harley was donated by a bike collector in South Carolina who knew the Salisbury family and wanted to make difference. Then, the day of the raffle, the unthinkable happened.
“It’s been under lock and key. Under surveillance no idea someone steel that bike,” Diadone said.
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A suspect drives off with a custom-made Harley-Davidson that’s been parked on the patio of the L Street Tavern for past several weeks. The motorcycle was to be raffled off to help raise money for a Salisbury family battling Alzheimer’s.
L Street Tavern
Theft caught on camera
Police identified a suspect in the theft as 26-year-old Brian Bennett from Amesbury. Surveillance shows a man who appears to be Bennett stealing the bike.
“He had one of our guys who thought he was the winner move stuff out of the way and then he just took off down the patio,” Diadone said.
Surveillance also caught him driving it right out the front door of the restaurant. That’s when L Street’s owners quickly called police.
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“The Seabrook Police Department spotted the vehicle – spotted the motorcycle – they activated their lights in an attempt to stop the motorcycle. He took off at high rate of speed. They decided not to pursue,” Hampton Police Chief Alex Reno said.
Bennett was eventually stopped and arrested in Wrentham after running out of gas. Now he faces a number of charges.
Ian Timmons is a firefighter and veteran. He won the raffle but has yet to collect his prize. Police say the Harley will be delivered to him soon.
“Initially, you know, I was mad that the guy stole it from a veteran on the anniversary of Memorial Day, but then I found out he might have a mental illness, so I just want to make sure he gets the right help,” Timmons said.
“I am glad it came to a peaceful resolution. We were able to get the property back, and person who did will be held accountable for their actions,” Reno said.
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The Salisbury family has received the money raised by the raffle.
Paul Burton
Paul Burton is a general assignment reporter for WBZ-TV News.
WILTON, N.H. (WHDH) – A woman died in a Wilton, New Hampshire, house fire Wednesday morning, according to the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office.
At 9:08 a.m., Wilton firefighters responded to Burns Hill Road after a caller said their home was filling up with smoke. When they arrived, a single-family home was on fire and they found out two people were still inside on the second floor.
A man and a woman were both taken out of the house by firefighters and taken to Elliott Hospital. The woman was pronounced dead and the man is in serious condition.
Officials have not released the name of the victim at this time.
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At this time, investigators are looking into the cause of the fire and are trying to determine if a power outage in the area played a factor. The fire is not currently considered suspicious.
(Copyright (c) 2025 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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Diane Durgin, 67, is accused of shooting at a Black man who inadvertently drove to her property after a prearranged truck part sale, prosecutors said.
A New Hampshire woman is accused of violating the state’s Civil Rights Act four times after she allegedly shot at a man because he was Black, prosecutors said.
Diane Durgin, 67, of Weare, N.H. could face up to a $5,000 fine for each violation she is found to have committed, the office of New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella said in a press release Tuesday.
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Durgin is also charged with criminal threatening against a person with a deadly weapon and attempted first degree assault with a deadly weapon, Michael Garrity, a media representative for the New Hampshire Attorney General, said in an emailed statement to Boston.com.
Durgin had a final pre-trial conference last week, Garrity said.
In a civil complaint filed Tuesday, Durgin is accused of threatening physical force against the victim, the AG said. Prosecutors asked the court to issue a preliminary injunction barring Durgin from repeating her alleged behavior and from contacting the victim and his family.
During the morning hours of Oct. 20, 2024, the victim claims, he “mistakenly” drove to Durgin’s home after a prearranged purchase of a truck part with a seller online, prosecutors wrote as part of their request for an injunction.
When the man — whom prosecutors identified in court documents as X.G. — arrived, Durgin allegedly stepped out of her home and approached his car with a gun “holstered by her waist,” prosecutors wrote.
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Upon noticing that X.G. was Black, Durgin allegedly “removed her gun and pointed it at X.G.,” prosecutors said in the injunction request.
While X.G. explained that he was lost, Durgin called the victim a “Black mother[expletive],” and threatened to “kill him,” prosecutors allege.
As the victim attempted to drive away, Durgin allegedly took her gun and fired two shots at the fleeing man’s car, missing both times, the AG’s office said.
While on the phone with a dispatcher, Durgin allegedly said she shot the man’s car because the victim is Black, the AG said.
“The guy is Black. And he, he…he says he’s meeting someone here and I think he’s coming here to steal,” Durgin allegedly said.
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Police located X.G. and brought him to the Weare Police Department, stopping along the way at the correct seller’s home to complete the truck part purchase, prosecutors wrote in court documents.
To prove a violation of the New Hampshire Civil Rights Act, the AG must show that Durgin “interfered or attempted to interfere with the rights of the victim to engage in lawful activities by threatening to engage in or actually engage in physical force or violence, when such actual or threatening conduct was motivated by race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, or disability,” prosecutors said.
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