MANCHESTER, NH – A man was arrested for drug possession and making false statements after he was found in an area of the city where a shooting was reported Dec. 18.
Esaw Santana, 27, of Lawrence, Mass., was arraigned Dec. 21 in the 9th District Court in Manchester on charges that stem from the following narrative issued by Manchester Police:
On Dec. 18 police received several calls reporting gunshots in the area of 289 Lowell St. The original call came in at 4:56 p.m., so multiple units responded to the scene. Officers located spent shell casings, but were unable to locate a suspect or a victim.
Officers canvassed the neighborhood and spoke with several residents who said a beige sedan was seen in the area moments after the shooting. The driver and passenger were described as wearing unique winter hats, but they were unable to provide a description on the rear seat passenger.
At 5:25 p.m., Officers Cody Healy and Matthew McDonald observed a similar vehicle operating northerly on Pine Street. The driver and front seat passenger were both wearing similar hats as described in the earlier broadcast, so they conducted a motor vehicle stop at Pine and Central streets.
The three occupants allegedly made furtive movements as the vehicle came to rest, so the officers removed the occupants from the Chevrolet Prism and separated them. They located several open containers of alcohol inside of the car. Officer Healy spoke with the driver, who provided a false name and false date of birth. The driver was also in possession of 9 grams of heroin, so he was placed into custody and transported to headquarters. The driver was processed under the name he provided on the street.
Officer Healy confirmed his true identity through New Hampshire State Police AFIS Unit. He was identified as Esaw Santana, 27 of Lawrence, Mass. He was charged with possession of a controlled drug (heroin); and false reports to a law enforcement officer.
No gun was found by police, and the other two people in the vehicle were not charged, police said.
