Homeless Felon And Thief Charged With Theft And Assault After Robbery At Concord Walmart

CONCORD, NH — A homeless felon, now located in Concord, with a criminal history dating back more than 15 years, is facing new charges, accused of robbery at Walmart nearly two months ago.

Just before 2:30 p.m. on May 30, police were sent to the store on Loudon Road for a report of a possible robbery. An employee at the store reported a man fled with stolen items and assaulted a co-worker during the incident. The suspect left in a gold sedan, heading east on Sheep Davis Road. The reporting officer searched the area while heading to the scene, but did not find the suspected vehicle.

When the reporting officer arrived, they spoke with an asset protection member who accused the thief of concealing merchandise down the front of his pants. He then began walking toward the exit. The protection manager attempted to stop him and then was “forcefully pushed” to the ground by the suspect, a report said. The officer asked the employee to explain exactly how he was pushed and he did. After pushing him, some stolen items were either dropped or fell out of his pants. The recovered items included a butane fuel bottle, a bag of 8-inch zip ties, and black duct tape, all valued at around $14.

A description of the suspect was given to the officer. The reporting officer also spoke with another employee who was a witness to the incident.

A photo of the suspect and video were submitted to police on June 8 and the officer recognized the suspect as Christopher Plaisted-Comeau, 33, a homeless man now located in Concord. The reporting officer submitted the photo to other personnel who also confirmed it was Plaisted-Comeau, according to an affidavit.

The officer attempted to reach Plaisted-Comeau via two numbers the police had on file, but one was disconnected, and the other belonged to a different person who did not know who Plaisted-Comeau was, the report stated.

In the video footage, the officer also recognized another man, in his early 40s, who spoke with Plaisted-Comeau at the store, according to the report. The officer spoke with the man on June 22 and asked him about the Walmart incident, but he “couldn’t remember, at first,” because he visited the store frequently, the report said. The man later confirmed he did give a guy named “Chris” rides to the store, but did not know about any incidents. The officer told him he was not in trouble, the report said, and they were just trying to track down the suspect. The man said the last time he saw Plaisted-Comeau was at the Friendly Kitchen a day or two before.

The officer noted Plaisted-Comeau had been convicted of misdemeanor theft in January 2009 in Plymouth and felony theft in Coos County Superior Court in December 2021.

On June 28, the officer went to the county jail where Plaisted-Comeau was being held, but he refused to speak with the officer, the affidavit said. Staff at the jail said Plaisted-Comeau was currently in restraints due to being uncooperative and other issues.

A warrant was issued for Plaisted-Comeau’s arrest and he was charged on July 18 with robbery and theft by unauthorized taking charges, both felonies, as well as willful concealment and simple assault.

Editor's note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Concord Police Department and does not indicate a conviction. This link explains the process for requesting the removal of a name from New Hampshire Patch police reports.

According to superior court records, Plaisted-Comeau’s criminal history dates back to at least October 2009, when he was accused of witness tampering twice in Plymouth. He pleaded guilty to one felony charge in April 2010 and received a one-to-three-year prison sentence, suspended for three years, but that may be imposed within five years, according to court documents. The second charge was nolle prossed in October 2012. In February, March, and November 2013, hearings were held to motion the imposition of the sentence. In February 2014, the sentence was amended to serve one to three years, stand committed.

In November 2012, Plaisted-Comeau was accused of second-degree assault in Plymouth. He pleaded guilty to the charge in March 2013 and received a three-and-a-half-to-seven-year sentence, suspended for 10 years, with three years of probation.

Plaisted-Comeau was charged with escape in January 2014 after an incident in Haverhill in October 2013. The charge was nolle prossed in February 2014. He was charged with escape again in Manchester in September 2017 after an incident in March of that year. Plaisted-Comeau pleaded guilty to the charge in November 2017 and was sentenced to a year in prison.

In July and August 2021, Plaisted-Comeau was charged with a slew of crimes, including burglary and felon in possession of a dangerous weapon in Albany, aggravated harassment-assault by a prisoner and simple assault by a prisoner in Stewartstown, and theft and receiving stolen property charges in Berlin. In December 2021, he pleaded guilty to the assault charges and the theft charge. Plaisted-Comeau received one two-to-four-year prison sentence, suspended for five years, and two three-to-six-year prison sentences, with 140 days of time served, provided he completed a prison program and had no major disciplinary actions. In January 2022, he pleaded guilty to the burglary charge and received a three-to-six-year prison sentence, with 17 days of time served credit, and a $620 fine suspended for two years along with $45 in restitution. The dangerous weapon charge was nolle prossed.

Plaisted-Comeau was also charged with willful concealment in Conway, a felony due to two prior convictions, after an incident in Conway in June 2021. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one and a half to three years in prison, suspended for three years, with $149.64 in restitution to be paid to Walmart, on July 2.

Do you have a news tip? Please email it to tony.schinella@patch.com. View videos on Tony Schinella's YouTube or Rumble channels. Patch in New Hampshire is now in 190 communities. Also, follow Patch on Google Discover.