BY TIMOTHY LA ROCHE
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NEWPORT — A Claremont woman arrested on several drug-related charges was one of four area residents sentenced this week in Sullivan County Superior Court.
“The law enforcement community of Sullivan County is resolute in the efforts to stop the influx of dangerous drugs in this community,” County Attorney Marc Hathaway said.
Melissa Palardy, 30, pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to distribute more than 5 grams of crack cocaine, and one count each of falsifying physical evidence and bail jumping.
Palardy, of Claremont, was sentenced this week to two one-year terms, to be served concurrently, at the Sullivan County House of Corrections for falsifying evidence and one distribution count
She also received a one-year term on the second distribution count, to be served consecutively.
Palardy received a sentence of one to three years at New Hampshire State Prison for jumping bail, suspended for five years following her release on good behavior. She will be supervised by the New Hampshire Department of Corrections for three years following her release.
Palardy was arrested on May 2 at the scene of an 8 Park Avenue house fire. Just before 2 p.m. that day, Claremont Fire Department,Claremont Police Department and Golden Cross Ambulance responded to a structure fire that started in the first floor kitchen of the three unit multi-family house.
Palardy and the other occupants of the home evacuated the building before crews arrived. Firefighters extinguished the blaze before it spread to the rest of the house. According to affidavits, firefighters were asked to reenter the home as the smoke was clearing out to search for an occupant’s cell phone.
While searching through one of the first floor bedrooms, firefighters found a bag full of white powder later confirmed to be cocaine. Upon discovery, police searched the rest of the property, netting two bags of crack cocaine in the bedroom occupied by Palardy.
One of the bags contained 12 smaller, individually packed bags of cocaine, weighing a sum total of six grams. Another bag found on the bed contained an additional .4 grams of crack cocaine, according to affidavits.
Palardy was subsequently transported to the Sullivan County House of Corrections, where she allegedly admitted to hiding an additional 13.6-gram bag of crack cocaine on her person after being told that she would be “searched thoroughly” before entering the jail.
Lt. Aaron Reichert, a member of the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Drug Task Force, estimated that based on the current street prices of crack cocaine in Claremont, the find netted about $2,000 in Class A controlled substances.
Palardy was arraigned in Sullivan County Superior Court on May 22 before being released on bail. She was named in early-November the “Sullivan County Fugitive of The Week” after she failed to appear for her Oct. 3 plea and sentencing hearing. Claremont Police arrested her on an outstanding warrant Jan. 22.
Several other residents received sentences in Sullivan COunty Superior Court this week as well.
Jason Carrier, 32, of Claremont, was sentenced to a one to three years at the New Hampshire State Prison for the possession of buprenorphine. He also received a two to five year state prison sentence for the possession of alpha-PHP – more commonly known as “bath salts”—suspended for five years.
Carrier pleaded guilty to the felony offenses of possession of the controlled drug buprenorphine and possession of the controlled drug analog alpha-PHP. He was arrested on Nov. 28 after a motor vehicle stop for failure to display plates during which he was found to be in possession of several controlled substances.
Jason Remick, 44, of Claremont, was sentenced to two years at Sullivan County House of Corrections for the misdemeanor offenses of domestic violence, criminal threatening, and reckless conduct. He also received a consecutive year-long sentence suspended upon good behavior for five years.
Timothy Wright, 33, of Lempster, was sentenced to two to five years at New Hampshire State Prison two concurrent counts of sexual assault – enhanced. Prosecutors argued that the sentences on these two counts should be served consecutively.
Wright was also given a state prison sentence of two to five years suspend for five years from his release date. Conditions of the sentences include no contact with the victim and that he be assessed for sex offender programming.
He was arrested on May 2 after an investigation revealed that Wright had sexual contact with a thirteen-year-old victim in July or August 2012.
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