Former Portsmouth Cop Arrested After November Diner Fight; 2 From MD Wanted On Warrants

PORTSMOUTH, NH — After a multi-month investigation of a fight at a diner last year, a former police detective has been arrested, and warrants have been issued against two other people from Maryland.

Around 10:30 p.m. on Nov. 22, 2023, police were sent to Gilley’s Diner on Fleet Street for a fight report. When they arrived, they spoke with several people, including Aaron Goodwin, 45, of Eliot, Maine, a former Portsmouth cop. Since he was accused of being involved in the incident, New Hampshire State Police were requested to investigate the fight, to avoid a perception of a conflict of interest.

According to press reports, the victim in the case was Mamadou Dembele, a vice president with Bangor Savings Bank at the time of the attack. In a statement, he said, based on “the words used by my attacker,” there was “no doubt that this was a racist act.” Dembele revealed himself to be the victim in December 2023.

After investigating the incident, state police issued warrants against Aaron Goodwin and Kevin Goodwin, 42, and Shannon Goodwin, 37, both of Dundalk, Maryland. Tyler Dumont, a public information officer for the New Hampshire Department of Safety, said the warrants for both Aaron Goodwin and Kevin Goodwin were on simple assault and disorderly conduct charges while Shannon Goodwin was wanted on three counts of simple assault and disorderly conduct.

Aaron Goodwin surrendered to troopers on Friday. He was processed and released on personal recognizance. Aaron Goodwin is due in Portsmouth District Court on April 22.

Dumont said state police were coordinating to arrange for Kevin Goodwin and Shannon Goodwin to be charged on their outstanding warrants.

State police made no mention of whether the incident was racially motivated. But all aspects of the incident are still under investigation, Dumont said.

Aaron Goodwin, according to previous posts on Portsmouth Patch, was a detective with the department who worked on cold cases. He was promoted to sergeant in November 2012. However, about three years later, he was fired after using undue influence to inherit about $2.7 million from a woman with dementia he met with on the job. Aaron Goodwin was fired after months of investigations by the Webber-Goodwin Investigation Task Group.

John Connors, the officer who called out the actions of Aaron Goodwin, was later honored with a First Amendment award.

Along with Portsmouth police, analysts from the New Hampshire Information and Analysis Center, troopers from the Maryland State Police Department, and the Strafford County Attorney’s Office, assisted state police with the case.

Anyone with information who has not spoken with investigators was asked to contact Det. Sgt. John S. Kelly at john.s.kelly@dos.nh.gov or 603-679-3333.

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