New Hampshire

NH troops from the border: 'We have to adapt every night to every scenario' • New Hampshire Bulletin

Published

9 months ago

April 29, 2024

NH troops from the border: 'We have to adapt every night to every scenario' • New Hampshire Bulletin

New Hampshire National Guard Lt. Ryan Camp looked through the border fence separating Texas and Mexico, and made a mental note of the pickup truck crawling back and forth along the bank of the Rio Grande. He logged the man fishing and the person he could hear but not see walking through the brush below the fence.

Camp’s list of events can grow long by the end of a 10-hour shift.

New Hampshire National Guard Lt. Ryan Camp and his unit work the night shift along the Eagle Pass, Texas border. (Annmarie Timmins | New Hampshire Bulletin)

That’s the kind of vigilance, he said, that left his unit prepared to spot a group of migrants crossing the river in darkness Wednesday night. Soldiers intercepted the foursome after they cut the fence and slipped under.

“You have to pay attention and be observant of what’s happening not only in front of you at the anti-climb barrier, but what’s happening in the river, and what’s happening on the opposite bank,” Camp said during a patrol last week. “Every encounter we have on the border is different, and we have to adapt every night to every scenario.”

Gov. Chris Sununu deployed 15 National Guard soldiers to Eagle Pass, Texas, in early April to help that state stop undocumented migrants and drugs from coming into the country illegally. The New Hampshire soldiers pair with Guard members from Texas and Louisiana, patrolling 1½ miles of Texas’s 1,250-mile border overnight. Camp said they encounter about 50 migrants a night on average, a huge drop from the 5,000 who were arriving in December.

Their orders allow them to do three things: report suspicious or illegal activity to Texas authorities; direct migrants to a legal port of entry; and aid migrants only amid danger to their “life, limb, or eyes.”

They cannot arrest or detain migrants. They cannot even give them water.

Pfc. Dennis Harris, 42, of Freedom, was keeping watch from atop a Humvee last week.

“It’s more of a safety aspect both for the people that are trying to cross and for the people that are here in the States,” he said. “Because, yes, some people that are crossing are obviously family members but there’s also other individuals who are crossing that we probably don’t want living next door.”

Logistically and emotionally challenging

The soldiers’ mission, which will keep them in Texas until early June, is likely more logistically and emotionally complicated than it looks from afar. It can be frustrating, they said, to watch a situation unfold and be so limited in responding.

That includes waiting for a person to cut or climb over a fence before calling in Texas authorities and saying no to someone asking for water.

Some migrants ask the soldiers to admit them because they fear for their safety at home. Some appear with young children. They risk drowning in the Rio Grande to get that far. Some spend hours looking for a spot out of the soldiers’ sight to cut the fence and slip under. Last week a woman and two men slept two nights against the fence, asking the soldiers to let them in. Camp, who like the other New Hampshire soldiers does not speak Spanish, used Google Translate to communicate with them.

“She was saying that she would rather be imprisoned here than in Mexico and that Mexico was dangerous,” Camp, 26, of Brookfield, said.

Camp recounted a man approaching the fence carrying a toddler in his backpack, through coils of wire with sharp barbs that can quickly shred a pack.

Last week, a group of migrants found an opportunity to climb over the fence unnoticed and cleared a second fence about 200 yards away. To protect themselves against the sharp wire, they drape it with clothes or blankets. Sometimes they light the material on fire to melt the wire.

When troops noticed the migrants fleeing, Sgt. Timothy King, 26, of Fremont, said they responded the only way their orders allow them to: call authorities who have the power to take migrants into custody – if they find them.

“I’ve seen instances where (migrants) will sit in the brush for probably up to nine or 10 hours,” King said. “They are determined. They will just go out there and just take a nap and … wait until the search gets called off and they can get through.”

Soldiers from other states have seen individuals leave infants at the fence and return to Mexico, waiting to see if the authorities take the child into the United States. If they don’t, they swim across the river again and collect the child.

Guard members from another state saw a woman give birth at the fence. In that case, soldiers responded because the life of the mother and child were at risk.

“You do everything you can to make sure that if something goes wrong, you can save them,” Camp said. “But until then you have to do your job.”

He said those experiences take a toll on soldiers. The unit was given resources for mental health treatment when they arrived. Camp and another troop leader, Sgt. 1st Class Cameron Holt-Corti of North Berwick, Maine, watch their soldiers for signs they are struggling and help them seek treatment.

“Our job is simple to describe, but there is nothing simple about it,” Camp said.

According to media reports last year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said 14 of its agents had died by suicide in 2022, the highest count in a single year since it began tracking suicides in 2007.

The 15 New Hampshire National Guard troops in Eagle Pass, Texas, are responsible for 1.5 miles of the border. Sgt. 1st Class Cameron Holt-Corti and Lt. Ryan Camp look across the Rio Grande, into Mexico. (Annmarie Timmins | New Hampshire Bulletin)

There are no days off

At the start of his 7 p.m. shift, Holt-Corti, 34, stepped aside, his cell phone to his ear. He was wishing his three children goodnight.

“You miss them, and it’s rough on them,” he said. “I’ve talked to them every day.”

Each of the 15 Guard members, whose ages range from 19 to 42, left something behind when they volunteered for this mission.

Harris, who also has children, works in construction. Holt-Corti is the director of safety at a welding company. Camp works at Sig Sauer’s testing range and looks after his parents. One soldier is trying to keep up with college courses.

“You have to make sure that you’re talking with your work, you’re talking to your professors,” Camp said. “One of the things that can be hard for people is the world doesn’t stop while you’re gone. So you’ll come back and things are different. And you end up playing catch up.”

They are staying an hour from Eagle Pass, in Base Camp Alpha, in Del Rio, a commute that stretches their 10-hour shift to 12 hours. They’ve got a gym and a chow hall that serves a lot of shrimp. They cannot have alcohol on or off duty. Some have to get around in a minivan because the car rental agency had nothing else.

Soldiers work three nights, followed by three days off. But “off” is a misnomer because they use those days to keep their service pistol in working order and keep up with training.

“That’s the Army as a whole,” Camp said. “When you have a day off, in reality, you don’t really have a day off. You have a calmer day.”

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New Hampshire

Who is this man? Police say child sex assault suspect was living under false identity

Published

9 hours ago

January 28, 2025

Press Room

Who is this man? Police say child sex assault suspect was living under false identity

Police in Manchester, New Hampshire, are seeking the public’s help in determining the identity of a man charged with sexually assaulting a child in the city last year.

Manchester police say the man, who had claimed to be 60-year-old Angel Rivera Laureano, was brought to the attention of their Juvenile Unit in January of 2024 after someone alleged that he had sexually abused a child under the age of 13. He was ultimately arrested and charged with one count of aggravated felonious sexual assault.

During the investigation, police said they learned that the suspect might not be who he said he was. As a result of their investigation, police were able to determine that the man had been living under a false identity for years, and under that name was convicted of numerous crimes in New Hampshire dating back over a decade.

The real Angel Rivera Laureano was positively identified and located living in Puerto Rico, police said.

The suspect in the sexual assault case, who police are now referring to as “John Doe,” now faces an additional charge of identity fraud. At the time of his arrest he was already being held at the Hillsborough County House of Corrections, and he remains there.

Police said the man’s identity is still unknown, and are asking anyone with information about him to call Detective Guy Kozowyk at 603-792-5560 or email him at gkozowyk@manchesternh.gov.

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New Hampshire

Ondris scores 2 in Johnstown Tomahawks’ win over New Hampshire Mountain Kings – The Rink Live

Published

20 hours ago

January 27, 2025

Press Room

The Johnstown Tomahawks bested the New Hampshire Mountain Kings 7-3 on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2025 at 1st Summit Arena.

The hosting team took the lead early in the first period, with a goal from

Caden Olenczak

. Markas Samenas assisted.

The Tomahawks’

Nick White

made it 2-0 in the first period, assisted by

Hank Reed

and

Nick Jarmain

The second period ended with a 4-1 lead for the Tomahawks.

The Mountain Kings narrowed the gap to 4-2, only 25 seconds into the third when

Alex Gelhar

found the back of the net, assisted by Kim Hilmersson.

The Mountain Kings’ Kim Hilmersson narrowed the gap again, assisted by

Oli Genest

and

Rogiero Cacciarelli

at 1:12 into the third period.

Cullen Emery

increased the lead to 5-3 with a goal four minutes later, assisted by

Sam Blanton

Adam Ondris

also increased the lead to 6-3 with a goal one minute later, assisted by

Kirby Perler

and Charlie Zetterkvist.

The Tomahawks increased the lead to 7-3 with 29 seconds remaining of the third period after a goal from Charlie Zetterkvist, assisted by Adam Ondris and

Dylan Shane

Coming up:

Both teams will be back in action on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025 when the Tomahawks face New Jersey at 6:30 p.m. CST at 1st Summit Arena and the Mountain Kings play the Philadelphia Rebels at 6:30 p.m. CST at Hollydell Ice Arena.

New Hampshire

3.8 magnitude earthquake off York, Maine coastline rattles Seacoast

Published

1 day ago

January 27, 2025

Press Room

3.8 magnitude earthquake off York, Maine coastline rattles Seacoast

A magnitude 3.8 earthquake struck 10 miles off the coast of York, Maine on Monday.

The earthquake was recorded at 10:22 a.m. on Monday and was about 10 kilometers southeast of York Harbor, according to USGS. It shook at a depth of 13.2 km. There is no tsunami danger from this earthquake.

The earthquake was originally reported as a 4.1 magnitude quake by USGS and then downgraded.

People across New Hampshire reported feeling the earthquake.

The New Hampshire Department of Safety, Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) said that New Hampshire 911 did not receive any calls about injury or damage as of 10:45 a.m. They encouraged residents to be prepared for all types of hazards, including earthquakes.

“Include all hazards when you are creating a family emergency plan,” said HSEM Director Robert Buxton. “You should also hold regular drills to practice what to do during an earthquake. It’s the best way to keep you and your family safe.”

Local schools, fire departments react

Staff at Mary C. Dondero Elementary School in Portsmouth, New Hampshire pulled the fire alarm after shaking began and had the entire school briefly evacuate, according to superintendent of schools Zach McLaughlin. No other school in Portsmouth evacuated during the course of the earthquake.

“The reality is, as New Englanders, many of whom have lived here our whole lives, this might be everybody’s first earthquake experience,” McLaughlin said Monday morning. “I think folks did the right thing but once it was clear that we were in good condition, folks returned to the building.”

City school department officials have not found any property damage in any of the school buildings thus far in the wake of the quake, McLaughlin added.

Portsmouth Fire Department Chief Bill McQuillen reported there had been no calls regarding personal injuries or property damage as of approximately 11 a.m. Monday.

The city sent out alerts to residents and automated messages urging any personal injuries or structural damages to be reported to authorities.

“We wanted to try and get out the word as quickly as possible and make sure the city sent out a message as soon as possible,” McQuillen said.

Over the Piscataqua River, calls were made to Kittery, Maine’s fire department but no injuries were reported and no property damage had been found.

“Our dispatch center took a lot of calls from concerned citizens reporting that they think something happened at their property,” Kittery fire Chief Craig Alfis stated. “So far everything has stabilized out and our dispatchers are back to normal operation. We haven’t been out on a call in 15 minutes so fingers crossed we’re past that.”

No calls had been made expressing concern about the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, per Alfis.

“Reports are coming in from various parts of town about noticeable shaking. We are aware of the earthquake and are actively assessing impacts. Please only contact public safety dispatch if you have an emergency,” the town of Kittery advised in an email.

Where was the NH earthquake? How far did it reach?

According to the USGS, Monday morning’s earthquake originated off the southeast coast of York Harbor, Maine.

York Harbor is about 10 miles north of the New Hampshire border.

Light shaking from the earthquake was felt as far south as Cape Cod, according to the USGS, though some people in Rhode Island also reported feeling the earthquake.

How strong was the NH earthquake?

Monday’s earthquake is being measured at 3.8 on the magnitude scale, according to the USGS.

According to Michigan Tech, earthquake magnitudes between 2.5-5.4 are often felt but typically only cause minor damage. Earthquake magnitudes measured at 7.0 and higher are considered major earthquakes.

How common are earthquakes in NH?

New Hampshire has a moderate earthquake risk based on its position in the North American plate: according to a 2019 fact sheet from the NH Department of Environmental Services, there have been 65 earthquakes above magnitude 2.1 since 1638.

New Hampshire’s earthquake risk rating is based on frequency rather than intensity.

What was the biggest earthquake in NH history?

While earthquakes in New Hampshire tend to be smaller, there have been similar magnitude earthquakes in the past, such as a 4.0 magnitude quake in Southern Maine in 2012 and another near Laconia in 1982.

The strongest earthquakes with an epicenter in New Hampshire in state history happened four days apart in December of 1940. Each had a magnitude of 5.8.

This story will be updated.

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