BERNARDSTON — A 34-year-old Connecticut man who allegedly attempted to break into Marshall’s Country Store on Church Street over the weekend was arrested in Northampton.
The suspect, identified by Northampton Police Capt. Corey Robinson as Steven Nakhoune of Waterbury, Connecticut, had been wanted in connection with an armed robbery involving a shotgun that took place in Connecticut on March 11, according to Bernardston Police Chief James Palmeri. He was taken into custody by Northampton Police early Saturday morning and charged with being a fugitive from justice. Extradition back to Connecticut is in process and other charges may be pending.
Marshall’s Country Store co-owner Jesse Snow said when he arrived at the store to open up early Saturday morning, he noticed that the window on the front door had been smashed. He said he initially assumed it was an instance of juvenile vandalism, but after reviewing security camera footage, he learned that it was two adult men trying to break into his store. Nothing was stolen.
“As I was getting up there, I could see that something was wrong with the door. … All the glass was all over the floor and everything. I called my wife (co-owner Amber Snow), woke her up, and we went and looked at the cameras,” Snow said. “I thought for sure it was just a kid throwing a brick at the door, but it turned out to be that these two guys pulled right up to the front door and [were] trying to smash it in, but it did not work well for them.”
When Jesse Snow called the police, Palmeri said Massachusetts State Police initially responded, but a number of nearby reports of vandalism — which he said were later found to be unrelated — prompted Bernardston Police to assist in the investigation.
Palmeri explained that State Police put out a “be-on-the-lookout” order, or BOLO, for two “armed and dangerous” suspects driving a Toyota Camry — the same car model captured on the security camera footage.
“My sergeant came in and started canvassing the area and checking on security cams in the areas of concern. Then we learned of an officer safety BOLO that was put out around midnight the same day … two parties considered armed and dangerous,” Palmeri said. “When we learned that, we compared our videos that we got from canvassing to the BOLO descriptions that had photos, and we matched the people.”
Nakhoune was apprehended at approximately 3 a.m. Saturday when police located him sleeping in the Toyota Camry, which was parked outside the Shell gas station on Pleasant Street in Northampton, alongside two other individuals, according to Robinson.
“There are active investigations ongoing by multiple agencies,” including Northampton Police, he added, that could result in charges against other individuals.
Robinson explained that because the suspect was believed to be “armed and dangerous,” the State Police Special Tactical Operations Team was called in to assist with the arrest.
“After receiving a BOLO from the State Police, one of our officers located that individual at a Shell gas station on Pleasant Street. We secured that vehicle until we could bring the appropriate resources in to safely remove them,” Robinson said. “We requested the assistance of the Massachusetts State Police Special Tactical Operations Team to extract those individuals in the vehicle, which they did. As a result, one of the individuals was taken into custody on an outstanding warrant.”
Palmeri, making note of Interstate 91’s reputation as a commonly used route for criminal operations, advised Bernardston residents to take crime prevention measures, such as locking their doors and reporting suspicious activity to the police.
“What really concerns me is the fact that we had a BOLO out here for things that were happening along the I-91 corridor,” Palmeri said. “Stay vigilant. [Interstate] 91 is the main vein coming out of Connecticut, Springfield, up in Vermont. … We’re a nice little safe town, but bad things happen in small towns, too, and it may not be internally, but from an external source. Lock your doors, keep your eye on your neighbor’s house, and call if you hear or see something.”