Pittsfield Felon Arrested On Meth Dealing, Weapon Possession Charges

CONCORD, NH — A felon from Pittsfield is facing a boatload of charges after two separate incidents since mid-March, according to police affidavits.

Back in mid-April, around 12:30 a.m., an officer driving on Interstate 93 north in the area of Exit 13 spotted a car merging onto the highway with a brake light out. The officer caught up to the car and accused the driver of veering off to the right of the Interstate, crossing a fog line, and then exiting off the highway at Exit 14.

The vehicle, a Pontiac G6, was then stopped.

The officer spoke to the driver, Thomas M. Pillsbury, 33, of Chestnut Street in Pittsfield, who they knew from "prior police contacts."

The officer wrote, "I asked him how he was doing, to which he told me not good. I told Thomas that I had heard about his recent arrest in the city of Manchester, to which Thomas told me, ‘They raided my house and didn't even get anything.’ I knew Thomas had been arrested by the Manchester Police Department through an investigation concerning the distribution of methamphetamine" since the officer saw the information posted by police on Facebook.

The officer saw two large knives behind the passenger seat and a large container underneath one of the knives, a report said. The container, which had a translucent cover, appeared to have many needles inside as well as a large, industrial-style butane torch, the officer said. Pillsbury was accused of telling the officer he had a hard time focusing on the road due to all of the headlights and when asked for his license, he said he did not have them and called himself "an idiot."

Pillsbury was asked to get out of the vehicle and he did. He was questioned about the needles and said he was exchanging them in Manchester the next day to get new ones while admitting he was a drug user, an affidavit stated. When asked if there were drugs in the car, he denied it, saying he was "actually dope sick" and hoped to get to Massachusetts to score in the morning, the affidavit said. The knives, he said, were purchased for $7.50 but could be thrown away, the report stated.

Pillsbury refused to allow for a consent search when requested, and an on-duty sergeant approved of having the car impounded and a search warrant requested, the report said.

A woman who was a passenger in the car was also spoken to. She was asked to step out of the car, which she did. The reporting officer noted a loaded needle in the mesh pocket on the side of her backpack. The officer also said they saw a butane torch in the backpack, too. She was not arrested despite having prior arrests during the past few years, including drug arrests.

Pillsbury and the woman then left the scene, and a truck towed the car to police headquarters.

On April 21, a search warrant was granted, and the reporting officer and detective reportedly found a loaded needle with fentanyl inside; five baggies of methamphetamine; a plastic container with numerous baggies; a digital scale with meth on it; a wallet with a debit card with Pillsbury's name on it; brass knuckles with two blades protruding from the sides; and two spring-loaded knives with switches.

A warrant was issued for Pillsbury's arrest on sale of meth, possession of fentanyl, and three felon in possession of dangerous weapon charges, all felonies, as well as transport drugs in a motor vehicle charges. He was arrested at 5:10 p.m. on April 28.

According to an affidavit, on March 9, Pillsbury was stopped on Brown Avenue while driving a newer Jeep Wrangler that an officer believed might be stolen.

A report stated the vehicle was pulled over after the officer observed a motor vehicle violation. The officer ran the plate, but it was not valid, he wrote, but the VIN matched a 2019 vehicle owned by Avis.

Pillsbury was accused of stating a friend, who was a mechanic, let him borrow the vehicle while he worked on his car. Officers, however, could not find any vehicles registered to him, an affidavit said. The Jeep was reported stolen not fair from the mechanic's address, one officer stated. Pillsbury was also accused of wearing similar clothes as the suspect caught on surveillance footage during the theft incident.

One officer also noted there appeared to be Bondo patch marks over what appeared to be bullet holes on the exterior of the Jeep, the report stated.

The vehicle was seized and a search warrant was requested, the report said.

Later in the day, a detective went to Front Street to speak with Juan Negron, 51, who was reportedly spray painting the back of a Jeep Wrangler in the driveway.

The report said Negron was questioned about the vehicle and confirmed it was Pillsbury's house. A check of the Jeep being spraypainted, a 2002 model, was found to have been reported stolen. The registration returned to a 2008 Pontiac G6, with a Maine inspection sticker. The detective accused Negron of spray painting over the interior VIN number while a hat was also clocking it on the dashboard.

The detective spoke to the owner of the G6, a Londonderry man, who was on vacation in Puerto Rico, but confirmed the plate was his.

On March 10, Avis confirmed the Jeep was theirs and had been rented in September 2022 and returned to Akron, Ohio, on Sept. 15, 2022. From there, the Jeep was listed as "in transit," the company said. The company could not tell the detective where it was in transit to, though.

A warrant was issued against Pillsbury for theft and receiving stolen property.

About a week later, the stolen Jeep charge and interview with others involved led to these arrests in Manchester.

On March 15, after the search warrant was approved, an officer reported finding a baggie of meth.

The next day, a search warrant was requested for the Front Street home.

When he failed to appear at the arraignment of the Manchester charges on April 21, a warrant was issued against him. He was picked up on April 27, by Concord police.

Pillsbury is a felon due to a felony controlled drugs: acts prohibited conviction out of Salem in July 2021.

His previous arrest and criminal history include two burglary charges in Bow in May 2007, in which he was only found guilty on disorderly conduct and criminal trespass charges. A robbery charge out of Concord in January 2009 was nolle prossed. After being accused of felony theft in April 2016, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge a few months later. In April 2017, he was charged with felony acts prohibited and controlled premises where drugs were kept. Thirteen months later, he pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge.

Along with the new charges out of Concord and Manchester, Pillsbury also has active robbery, robbery with a firearm, reckless conduct-deadly weapon, and felon in possession of dangerous weapon charges, from an incident in September 2020 in Concord, making its way through Merrimack County Superior Court.

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