Man charged in break-ins sent for mental health evaluation

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Police went to 149 Parker St. Monday at 3:41 a.m. for a call of a burglary in progress. A sign on the door asks visitors to use the back door until the front door is fixed. Photo/Pat Grossmith

MANCHESTER, NH – A city man, the subject of a manhunt that ended in his arrest Monday in Bedford, is to undergo a mental health evaluation at the Elliot Hospital, according to an agreement between the defense and prosecuting attorneys that was approved by a Superior Court Judge.

Alexander Theriault, 28, of 138 Ray St., is charged with three Class A felony counts of burglary and one Class B felony charge of reckless conduct.  He was arrested Monday night in Bedford after an hours-long search using a police dog and drone.  He ultimately was tracked down in woods near a Dunkin’ Donuts.

He entered not guilty pleas to the charges Tuesday in Hillsborough County Superior Court Northern District. A class A felony carries a maximum sentence of 7 ½ to 15 years in prison while a class B felony is punishable by up to 3 ½ to 7 years in prison.

For eight hours on Monday, police cordoned off an area of Ray Street where they believed Theriault was holed-up at his home after allegedly breaking into an apartment at 149 Parker St. on the city’s West Side and a home at 130 Ray St., brandishing a handgun in both incidents.  Police said Theriault ran from the Parker Street address before they arrived and once again ran from the home of Kyle McPhee, 130 Ray St., after breaking into it while armed with a handgun.

McPhee told police Theriault yelled, “You guys are going to get what’s coming to,” you and that he “seemed to be out of it.” 

According to court records, the incidents began at 3:49 a.m. on Aug. 3, 2020, when police went to 149 Parker St., Apt. 1, for a reported burglary in progress.  Officer Eric Cooper noticed a broken window on the south side of the apartment occupied by Amanda Maile, 33, and her child.

She was in the living room about 3:30 a.m. when she heard someone enter her apartment through an unlocked door.  The man yelled “who is in here.”  She told police Theriault, who she knows, yelled that she had talked negatively about him.  Maile said she didn’t know what he was talking about.

Theriault, she told Officer Eric Cooper, is the boyfriend of her neighbor who lives in Apt. 2.  Theriault’s girlfriend arrived at Maile’s apartment, got Theriault and told him to leave.

The girlfriend went back to her apartment, believing Theriault had left.  Theriault, however, was outside yelling and brandishing a semi-automatic handgun, the girlfriend told police, a weapon she knew he kept in the glove box of his truck.   He then entered the apartment building again, allegedly pointing the gun at apartment doors.

Theriault again went to Maile’s apartment, “aggressively banging on the door,” according to court documents. Theriault’s girlfriend sent Maile a text to let her know Theriault had a gun.

Unable to force the apartment door open, Theriault left the building and began banging on the windows of Maile’s apartment.  Police said he picked up a fan that was outside and threw it through one of the windows on the south side of her apartment, shattering it.

She yelled to him that she was on the phone with police and Theriault ran to his Chevrolet Colorado and left.

About 20 minutes later, at 4:10 a.m., police were called to McPhee’s residence for a report of a disorderly man banging on doors.  Officer Matthew Blonigen was on his way to the scene when he learned the man was breaking windows and was possibly armed with a gun.  On arrival, he was told the intruder just ran out the back door.  

McPhee showed police a video of the man in the back yard who smashed a rear glass door to enter McPhee’s home.

When he left, he went over a fence leading to 138 Ray St., Theriault’s home.

Neighbors began to gather and Darlene Theriault-Tsiorbas on viewing the video said, “I know exactly who that is.  This is my son.”  She told police her son owns guns but couldn’t say if he was in possession of them.  She said he is struggling with a drug problem and believes he could be under the influence of drugs.  She doubted he could be inside her house, she said, because the back door was locked.

Police searched the back yard for Theriault but he wasn’t there.  They recovered a small handgun, however, when they turned over a boat.

Manchester SWAT was called to the scene and the street was cordoned off for the eight hours police remained there.  

Later, police received information Theriault was at a Dunkin’ Donuts in Bedford.  When police arrived, however, he ran into the woods where, hours later, he was tracked down and taken into custody.

According to the bail agreement, if Theriault is not admitted to the New Hampshire State Hospital he is to have another bail hearing within 48 hours. If he is admitted, upon discharge he is to be released on personal recognizance bail with conditions.

 

 

 

About this Author

Pat Grossmith

Pat Grossmith is a freelance reporter.