"Police knew suspect was armed before fatal raid in N.H." April 18, 2012|By Sarah Schweitzer
PORTSMOUTH,
N.H. - Police were aware that Cullen Mutrie might be armed and even
watching them through surveillance cameras when they stormed his
Greenland home Thursday night to search for cocaine and other drugs,
according to court documents released Tuesday.
The drug raid,
however, quickly erupted into gunfire that left the local police chief
dead and four officers injured. Mutrie, 29, later apparently killed his
girlfriend, Brittany Tibbetts, and then shot himself in the head.
The
court documents, including a search warrant application and affidavit,
were released at the request of the state attorney general and provide
the first details of the events that led to the deadly shooting that has
shaken this small town. Burial services for Police Chief Michael
Maloney, who was killed just days before he was due to retire, are
scheduled Thursday at Winnacunnet High School in nearby Hampton.
A note attached to the warrant application, written by the judge who
approved the search, indicated that police sought a no-knock warrant
“due to the nature of the contraband sought to be seized, cameras
installed around his residence, and possible weapons.’’
The
documents also cited a Greenland police officer who told the police
chief that a source said Mutrie usually has a firearm with him, under
the front seat of his car or strapped to his ankle....
According to the affidavit released yesterday, in February 2011,
neighbors complained to police of cars coming and going, which led them
to believe Mutrie was dealing drugs out of the house.
In one
instance, “they heard Mutrie yell into the phone, ‘How much an ounce.’
’’ After making this statement, Mutrie looked around and reentered his
residence,’’ the affidavit states.
In September of that year,
police discovered a “significant number of packages’’ being delivered to
the house. The return address listed “Curtis Mutrie’’ of “Lauderdale.’’
“Mailers of controlled substances usually indicate a fictitious return
address or name on packages in order to hide their true identity from
law enforcement,’’ the affidavit states.
On Jan. 29, 2012, the
investigator met with a confidential source who said Mutrie and his
girlfriend were dealing upwards of 500 oxycodone pills every few days
out of his house.
That week, drug task force agents and detectives
used the confidential source to arrange a purchase of 30 milligrams of
oxycodone hydrochloride pills from Mutrie and his girlfriend for $250.
That same day the confidential source bought the pills from Brittany
Tibbetts, the documents said.
On March 27, undercover detectives
watched the house and saw cars coming and going. Several cars were
registered to people who had been charged with drug transportation or
possession....
What remained unclear Tuesday was what went horribly wrong last week....
--more--"
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