October Grand Jury indictments: 2 indicted for fentanyl sales face prospect of up to life in prison

MANCHESTER, NH – Two Manchester residents face the prospect of up to life in prison after being indicted on charges of selling large amounts of fentanyl in the city, according to indictments brought by the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office.

Christopher Scaniffe, 38, 559 Granite St., was indicted by a Hillsborough County Superior Court Northern District grand jury on charges of conspiracy to sell a controlled drug, subsequent offense.  The special felony carries a sentence of up to life in prison and a $500,000 fine. He also was indicted on a charge of sale of a controlled drug, subsequent offense.

Indicted along with him was Shea Schlander, 40, of the same address.  Schlander is charged with six counts of sale of a controlled drug, subsequent offense; three counts of possession of a controlled drug with intent to sell, subsequent offense; conspiracy to sell a controlled drug, subsequent offense.

According to the indictments, on March 9, 2024, police pulled over Schlander who was in possession of a kilogram of fentanyl.

The indictments were the result of a six-month police investigation, from Jan. 11 to July 9, 2024, during which Scaniffe and Schlander allegedly arranged sales of fentanyl to confidential informants and undercover officers.

Four Hudson residents, all with addresses listed at 64 Kienia Road, Apt. A., were indicted in connection with a shotgun being fired in Arms Park in Manchester.

Joshua Deveau was indicted witness tampering and conspiracy to commit witness tampering.  Between July 1 and 4, 2024, Deveau is accused of attempting to have J.C. go to the Manchester Police Department and take responsibility for the firing of a shotgun in Arms Park.  During that same time period, Deveau also allegedly agreed with Melissa Tavares to invite J.C. to Tavares’ home and then urge J.C. to take responsibility for the firing of a shotgun. Tavares, 18, was indicted for witness tampering and conspiracy to commit witness tampering.  She allegedly agreed with others to invite J.C. to her home and urge him to say he fired the shotgun.

Ava Williams, 18, was indicted for being an accomplice to reckless conduct, deadly weapon; criminal solicitation to falsifying physical evidence; falsifying physical evidence; conspiracy to commit witness tampering, and conspiracy to commit witness tampering with a firearm. She allegedly drove a car through Arms Park in Manchester while John Williams fired the shotgun.  She also allegedly agreed with Tavares to go to Tavares’ home and urge J.C. say he fired the shotgun. Williams also is accused of throwing a shotgun shell into storm drain and demanding Tavares delete a phone text message from her.

John Williams Jr., 22, was indicted on charges of reckless conduct with a firearm; witness tampering; criminal solicitation to commit falsifying physical evidence; four counts of criminal threatening with a firearm; conspiracy to commit criminal threatening with a firearm, and three counts of reckless conduct with a deadly weapon.  He allegedly was the one who fired the gun.

What is a Grand Jury indictment? According to the NH Law Library, an indictment is a criminal charge against a person by a Grand Jury. A Grand Jury considers evidence presented by the County Attorney or the Attorney General and decides whether there is sufficient evidence to formally charge a person with committing a crime. It is part of due process. Any accused individual is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of law. If you have a question about this information contact the Hillsborough County Superior Court. If you have court documents to show that you have been cleared of charges, contact publisher@inklink.news

The grand jury issued 263 indictments for October. Among those indicted were:

• Kyle Barka, 32, of 99 Bowers St., Nashua, four counts of maiming a police dog.  On July 15, 2024 in Manchester, Barka is accused of hitting Manchester Police K-9 Grimm with a chair, pinning the dog to the floor and wrapping his arm around the dog’s neck and applying pressure.

According to police reports, earlier that day Barka was involved in a hit-and-run crash on I-93 South in Londonderry.  New Hampshire State Police said he rear-ended a Volkswagen Tiguan.  At the scene, Barka got out of his Acura ILX to exchange information with the other driver but then he allegedly hit the motorist. He then got back into his car and drove off.

Manchester police went to Barka’s then apartment at 306 Manchester St. about 8:30 a.m. that day where Barka had barricaded himself.  SWAT was called in and, for several hours, negotiations with Barka took place. Around noon, during the interaction, Barka allegedly assaulted the K-9.  He then attempted to leave the apartment through a first-floor window and was arrested, with the help of the K-9.  Barka later was taken to the hospital for treatment of dog bites.

He was charged with second-degree assault in connection with the Londonderry incident.

• James Barrett, 55, homeless, criminal threatening with a deadly weapon.  On June 5, 2024 in Manchester, Barrett is accused of cornering J.M. while holding a knife.
• Josean Brens Feliciano, 21, of Worcester, Mass., two counts of robbery; three counts of reckless conduct, deadly weapon; three counts of criminal threatening, and three counts of second-degree assault. On July 27, 2024 in Manchseter, Brens Feliciano is accused of firing a gun a total of eight times into the air; pointing the gun at A.R.G. and saying he would kill her if she called police; pointing a gun at S.S.P. on multiple occasions and demanding he give him his $1,100 cell phone and also two necklaces for $90.  He also allegedly hit S.S.P. in the head with the gun.
• Christina Marie Christiansen, 42, of 254 Clough Park Road, Weare, one count each of manufacturing, possessing and selling marijuana in excess of an ounce. Mark Christiansen, 57, of the same address, was indicted on charges of manufacturing and possessing marijuana.  The date of the offenses is June 6, 2024.
• Joseph Cruz, 29, of 106 West River Drive, second-degree assault, domestic violence. On July 20, 2023, Cruz is accused of enabling E.C., a child under the age of 13, to be exposed to fentanyl, resulting in E.C. overdosing on the drug.
• Douglas Daniels, 22, of 97 North Village Road, Loudon, reckless conduct, deadly weapon.  On May 20, 2024 in Manchester, Daniels is accused of riding a motorcycle at a high rate of speed on city streets.
• Melissa DeForge, 35, of 168 Valley St., #2, two counts of falsifying physical evidence. Between Aug. 1, 2022 and Feb. 28, 2023, DeForge is accused of, knowing Matthew Venable had injured C.R., 13, and that an investigation would take place if C.R. was seen by medical providers, purposely did not take the child to the doctor.

Venable, 33, also of 168 Valley St., #2, was indicted on four counts of second-degree assault and witness tampering.  Between Aug. 1, 2022 and Feb. 28, 2023, Venable is accused of injuring a 13-year-old when he grabbed and dragged him while striking him on the back and pulling him out from under a bed when the boy tried to escape further hits.  He also is accused of injuring the child by hitting him with a belt and punching him in the stomach; hitting him in the head and upper body, and then kicking the boy when he fell to the floor, and hitting the boy, who had braces, in the face, causing bleeding from the mouth.  The witness tampering charge accuses Venable of telling Ja.D. that Ja.D. “was going to be adopted but next week he was going to have the chance to talk to the judge and be able to tell him the right thing to make sure you can come home.”

• Natausha Deroche, 30, of 631 Union St., Laconia, theft by unauthorized taking.  On Jan. 5, 2024 in Manchester, Deroche is accused of taking items worth more than $1,500 from S.B.’s storage locker unit.
• Bryan S. Dillon, 37, of 15 Washington Circle, Hillsborough, theft by unauthorized taking.  Between Jan. 1, 2022 and May 3, 2023, Dillon is accused of taking more than $1,500 in funds belonging to the American Legion of Hillsborough.
• Ryan Donaldson, 30, of 75 Ramsay St., criminal threatening with a firearm.  On May 19, 2024, Donaldson is accused of displaying a firearm during an argument with E.D.
• Branden French, 21, of 519 Greenfield Road, Peterborough, 10 counts of being a felon in possession of a dangerous weapon; possession of psilocybin with intent to sell; possession of marijuana, and possession of marijuana with intent to sell.  On Oct. 3, 2024 in Peterborough, French is accused of having 10 firearms in his possession having previously been convicted of criminal threatening in September 2022 Hillsborough County Superior Court Northern District.  According to the indictments, French possessed an Anderson AR pistol; a Spikes Tactical AR15; a 9mm AR rifle; an American Tactical AR15; a Taurus GX4 9mm pistol; a Glock 43 9mm pistol; a Glock 48 9mm pistol; a Sig 320 9mm pistol; a Palmetto State AR15 rifle, and an Essential Arms J15F AR pistol.
• Michael Gruette, 46, of 72 Ridge Road, Center Barnstead, reckless conduct, deadly weapon.  On June 14, 2024 in Manchester, Gruette is accused of driving his motor vehicle at high rates of speed on various city streets.
• Derek Heinig, 33, of 31 Gertrude, reckless conduct, domestic violence and reckless conduct, deadly weapon.  On July 4, 2024, Heinig is accused of crashing his truck into a car occupied by S.L., an intimate or former intimate partner.
• Christopher Hoggard, 38, of 705 Union St., Apt. 2B, criminal threatening, deadly weapon and felon in possession of a dangerous weapon. On March 30, 2024, Hoggard is accused of brandishing a knife during a dispute with T.F.
• George Johnson, 32, of 281 N. State St., Concord, reckless conduct, deadly weapon. On Sept. 16, 2024 in Manchester, Johnson is accused of striking B.N. with his vehicle’s side mirror when Johnson reversed at a high rate of speed.
• Brandon Jones, 19, of 276 Concord St., criminal threatening, deadly weapon and falsifying physical evidence.  On July 9, 2024, Jones is accused of walking towards F.D. while armed with a machete then banging it against tables while staring at F.D. in a threatening manner.  He  also is accused of hiding the machete under a couch while telling police he threw it onto the side of a road.
• Taeh Koehler, 26, of 35 Woodlawn Drive, Allenstown, two counts of theft by unauthorized taking. On May 17, 2024, Koehler is accused of stealing a silver 2016 Kia Forte and a black backpack containing a Dell computer.
• Adrian Lamb, 19, of 200 Circle Road, 12A, criminal threatening – conduct with a firearm.  On Feb. 14, 2024, Lamb is accused of sending a Snapchat message to D.O. stating he would shoot D.O. and pointed a black pistol with a red laser at the camera.

• Lester Humberto Lopez de Leon, 28, of 104 Orange St., #2, conduct after an accident; first-degree assault with a deadly weapon; second-degree assault, and reckless conduct, deadly weapon.  On June 4, 2024, Lopez de Leon is accused of leaving the scene of an accident that injured D.L. who was in a crosswalk when hit.

• Brandon McCullough, 41, of 592 Pine St., first-degree assault, two counts of second-degree assault and criminal restraint. On July 28, 2024, McCullough is accused of restraining S.C.S. in his vehicle by holding her by the hair and repeatedly punching her in the face, causing bruising, bleeding and swelling.

• Matej Miskovic, 40, homeless, robbery, criminal threatening and theft by unauthorized taking.  On March 21, 2024, Miskovic is accused of being armed with a firearm when he stole a bucket and grinder from Home Depot.  He allegedly threatened B.D. when, appearing to be armed with a deadly weapon, and saying, “…come near me you’ll get shot.”
• Alberto Mora, 44, of 544 Granite St., aggravated felonious sexual assault.  On Jan. 23, 2023, Mora is accused of overcoming S.R. by force, violence or strength and sexually penetrating S.R., however slight, with his penis.
• Maurice Morrissette, 70, of 75 Winter Road, Hillsboro, 17 counts of possession of child sexual abuse images; ten counts of manufacturing of child sexual abuse images.  On Aug. 8, 2024 in Hillsboro, Morrissette is accused of possessing child pornography featuring prepubescent girls.  The manufacturing counts alleged he printed the images.
• Zachary Noel, 30, 60 Pleasant St., Hooksett, receiving stolen property and three counts of forging a government instrument.  On July 3, 2024 in Manchester, Noel is accused of being in possession of a stolen Glock pistol.  The forgery counts allege that on Feb. 20, 2024 he tried to pass a fake $50 bill and two fake $20 bills at the Puritan Restaurant.
• Robert Olson, 58, of 38 Kimball Road, Jaffrey, criminal threatening.  On May 19, 2024 in Hancock, Olson is accused of running at M.F. with a metal tool and smashing M.F.’s truck with it.
• Iain Taylor Ours, 21, of 31 Emerson Ave., Unit 11, Rochester, burglary.  On July 28, 2024, Ours is accused of entering the residence of M.S. at 1C Pine St., Apt. 10, Peterborough, and taking an iPad.
• Nicklaus Parker, 19, of 167 Valley Road, Dublin, obscene matters offenses and computer services, use prohibited.  Onn July 1, 2023 in Francestown, Parker is accused of sending nude pictures and a photo of his penis through Snapchat to M.M., a minor under the age of 18.
• Michael Perez, 35, of 57 Varney St., two counts of theft by deception with two priors. On June 11, 2024 in Bedford, Perez is accused of accepting $400 from G.D. to cover the damage to his vehicle and not involve police or insurance companies.  That same day, Perez allegedly filed a claim with Nationwide Insurance.
• Matthew Platt, 34, of 36 Prescott St., Nashua, four counts of falsifying physical evidence.  Once on April 3, 2024 and three times on April 8, 2024, Platt is accused of making a call to A.A., using another Valley Street jail inmate’s tablet/phone pin, information he knew to be false with the purpose to deceive a public servant engaged in an investigation.
• Adrian Ramirez, 26, of 289 Central St., Apt. 3, first-degree assault, second-degree assault and reckless conduct, deadly weapon.  On Dec. 24, 2023, Ramirez is accused of smashing a bottle over I.M.’s head, cutting I.M.
• Victor Rodriguez, 41, of 42 School St., reckless conduct, deadly weapon; criminal restraint, and conduct after an accident.  On July 29, 2024, Rodriguez is accused of losing control of a vehicle and crashing during a high-speed police pursuit.  The criminal restraint charge alleges he confined A.R. to her vehicle during the pursuit, exposing her to serious bodily injury by not pulling over for police.
• David Rosati, 27, of 165 School St., reckless conduct.  On July 14, 2024, Rosati is accused of throwing a knife at G.T.
• Carolina Solares-Fraga, 26, of 368 Kelly St., 2R, reckless conduct, deadly weapon. On Aug, 13, 2024, Solares-Fraga is accused of driving a motor vehicle through Victory Park in pursuit of an individual.
• Stephanie St. Hilaire, 23, of 363 Lake Ave., #2, theft by deception.  On July 4, 2023 and Nov. 2, 2023, St. Hilaire is accused of activating NH Lottery ticket books, with a value of more than $1,500, the property of Gulf Express.
• Jade Temple, 25, of 8 Clark Road, Hillsboro, illegal possession of a controlled drug with intent to sell, special felony carrying a 20 to 40 years prison sentence; illegal possession of a controlled drug with the intent to sell, a special felony carrying a sentence of up to life in prison; two counts of illegal possession of a controlled drug, subsequent offense, and illegal possession of a controlled drug, fentanyl, with the intent to sell.  On July 4, 2024, Temple is accused of possessing methamphetamine and 4-MDA. On July 15, 2024, Temple allegedly sold in excess of five grams of fentanyl and more than an ounce of methamphetamine when she previously was convicted of a felony, and possessed fentanyl.
• James Williams, 48, of 1061 Elm St., false report of explosives. On July 11, 2024, Williams is accused of calling New Hampshire State Police to report there was a bomb at 1061 Elm St.  He then allegedly called them a second time saying, “guess you didn’t think there was a bomb there, think again.”
• Jonathan Winch, 52, of 434 Amory St., reckless conduct.  On Aug. 7, 2024, Winch is accused of firing a pistol inside his residence during an argument.