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Since the Satanic Temple’s monument near Concord, New Hampshire’s Nativity scene was unveiled Saturday, it has been “completely destroyed,” a state representative said.
The Salem, Mass.-based Satanic Temple, or TST, received a permit to place their monument of Baphomet, a deity and occult symbol with yellow eyes, near the city’s Nativity scene by the Statehouse. The city said in a statement they approved the permit in part “to avoid litigation.”
TST representatives unveiled Baphomet on Saturday night, and police believe it was vandalized some time between early Sunday morning and Monday afternoon. In pictures provided to Boston.com, only the legs of the black mannequin remained upright, while the strewn head and torso were damaged.
A spokesperson for Concord police confirmed that they responded to the scene Monday and could be investigating the incident as a hate crime.
State Rep. Ellen Read, a Democrat from Newmarket, initially asked TST to join the scene to represent “our pluralistic society.” She isn’t officially involved with them or the design of the Baphomet monument, but has signed up as a member online.

“I’ve just been a long time supporter of TST in terms of their beliefs and the work that they do,” Read said. “I’m local, so I helped with the permitting process, and I was there for the unveiling.”
Read said the monument had already been toppled once right after the unveiling ceremony on Saturday. Within 48 hours, the tablet listing the TST’s seven fundamental tenets had also been cracked with chunks of text missing.
Read said by Monday night, Baphomet had been taken apart and the tablet smashed. She said a Santa hat and a Christmas ornament had been left at the scene.
The display was cleaned up and removed Tuesday after the vandalism, Read said.
“There was nothing inherently offensive about the display. There were accusations that it meant to denigrate Christians, but there was nothing about it that was denigrating Christians,” Read said. “If you don’t want to allow it for all religions, then you don’t have to allow religious displays.”
Concord Mayor Byron Champlin previously said he would appoint a committee to evaluate the city’s options to regulate unattended displays for the future.
Champlin was critical of the display. He didn’t reply to a request for comment regarding the vandalism, but said at a Monday night meeting his preference was to oppose TST’s permit.
“I oppose the permit because I believe the request was made not in the interest of promoting religious equity but in order to drive an anti-religious political agenda and because I don’t respond well to legal extortion, threat of litigation,” Champlin said.
Read said it’s a First Amendment concern.
“They can pretend that they allow it for all religious displays, but it’s only really applicable if it’s Christianity,” Read said. “That’s kind of the point of calling that out and making sure that we’re standing up for First Amendment principles.”
TST did not return multiple requests for comment.
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photo by Paul Sirajuddin
Ed. Note: If this was you and you are interested, please email [email protected] so I can put you in touch with OP.
“Dear PoPville,
I was biking home from a doctor appointment a little before noon on Friday, and stopped at a red light on New Hampshire & L st nw. There was a woman across the street who was looking fine in her dark blue (I think they were) scrubs. I might be crazy, but it felt like we kept checking each other out. By the third time,
if we were in a romcom, one of us would have waved. Sorry I didn’t, but if you are reading this and date men, reach out to the Prince if you are interested in that man on the bike. Have a great weekend!”
Ed. Note: If this is you, please email [email protected] so I can put you in touch with OP. PoPville is not affiliated with either party, please proceed with any potential connection at your own risk using caution as you would any online encounter. For those curious about past missed connections, many have been made and when possible I’ll try to update when/if more are made.
A New Hampshire motorcyclist who had been missing since the Fourth of July was found dead in Shelburne late Thursday night.
State police say they received a request from the Berlin Police Department just after 7:30 p.m. Thursday for help locating 41-year-old Wesley Grondin — the Berlin man was last seen riding his motorcycle on Saturday, July 4, and had been reported missing.
Troopers received a call a couple of hours later, around 10:10 p.m. Thursday, from a concerned resident who had been out looking for Grondin along Route 2 in Shelburne. The person told police they had found Grondin dead, along with his Harley Davidson.
According to state police, a preliminary investigation determined that Grondin was riding his Harley on Route 2 westbound in Shelburne when, for reasons that remain under investigation, he crossed over into the opposing lane, struck a post, and came to a final rest in the wood line.
The crash is believed to have occurred just before midnight on July 4. At this time, police say there’s no indication that another vehicle or person was involved.
All aspects of the crash remain under investigation, however. Anyone with information that may assist investigators is asked to contact Trooper Hunter Newsham at Hunter.P.Newsham@dos.nh.gov.
KEENE, N.H. — A Nashua woman who had a town clerk falsely certify a marriage that never happened so she could claim her late partner’s property has been sentenced to seven days in jail, placed on probation and ordered to repay thousands to his estate.
Attorney General John Formella said Wendy Leedberg‑Snow, 60, turned to Winchester Town Clerk Jim Tetreault after the death of her longtime partner, Eric Leedberg — who was born in Lowell — using the falsified license to pose as his spouse and lay claim to property from his estate, an effort prosecutors describe as an attempt to rewrite the couple’s history for financial gain.
“This case involved a deliberate effort to manipulate official government records and exploit the death of a loved one for personal financial gain,” Formella said in a press release announcing the sentencing. “Our vital records system depends on honesty and integrity, and those who seek to corrupt that system will be held accountable. I want to thank the investigators and prosecutors whose work ensured justice for the victim’s family.”
According to Leedberg’s obituary, he was 53 when he died on Oct. 12, 2023, following a two‑year battle with cancer.
In the obituary, Leedberg-Snow is described as his “significant other.”
Prosecutors said Leedberg‑Snow moved quickly after his death, relying on Tetreault’s signature to fabricate a marriage that never occurred and position herself as Leedberg’s surviving spouse.
Tetreault, who was a New Hampshire justice of the peace at the time, falsely signed the marriage license claiming he had officiated the couple’s wedding. He later admitted he never performed any ceremony for Leedberg‑Snow and Leedberg and had no personal knowledge of them ever being married.
Leedberg‑Snow used the fraudulent certificate to obtain property from Leedberg’s estate, including a pickup truck and trailer, and later attempted to influence a witness connected to the scheme.
Leedberg‑Snow pleaded guilty in Cheshire County Superior Court in Keene to felony counts of solicitation to commit vital records fraud, title fraud, theft by misapplication of property and witness tampering.
In addition to her seven‑day jail term, she must serve two years of probation, pay $4,600 in restitution, return the truck and trailer to Leedberg’s estate and comply with a suspended three‑and‑a‑half‑ to seven‑year prison sentence, which means the sentence only takes effect if she violates the conditions of her probation.
Tetreault, who continues to serve as Winchester’s town clerk and “fully cooperated with the State’s investigation,” according to prosecutors, pleaded guilty in April to notarial misconduct, a Class A misdemeanor. As part of a negotiated plea, prosecutors dropped a felony charge of vital records fraud. He was sentenced to 90 days in the house of corrections, all suspended for two years on good behavior, and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine plus a $240 penalty assessment.
He resigned his commissions as a justice of the peace and bail commissioner and agreed not to seek recommissioning as a justice of the peace or notary public during the two‑year suspension period.
Tetreault could not be reached for comment at his office number.
Follow Aaron Curtis on X @aselahcurtis, or on Bluesky @aaronscurtis.bsky.social.
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