Friday, May 11, 2012

'Roid Raid Wrap-Up

"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....

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