Man Reportedly ID’d Alleged Assaulter Before Dying

The homeless man who recently died after a head injury at a camp along Fort Eddy Road near the I-393 underpass in Concord reportedly identified the name of the man who allegedly assaulted him to police, according to court documents.

Paul Tinkham, 52, was assaulted on Aug. 6, and transported to Concord Hospital and later, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medial Center. Four days later, with his three daughters by his side, he passed away due to the head injury.

Currently, investigators are not speaking about the tragic events of the night of Aug. 6, when law enforcement agents and fire and rescue teams were called to the scene for a report of a man with a severe head injury. However, according to a probable cause affidavit filed on Aug. 7, Tinkham ID’d the alleged assaulter.

A state trooper alleged in the document that a Concord Police officer spoke to Tinkham at Concord Hospital, before he was transported to Dartmouth. Employees at the hospital told the officer that it didn’t look like Tinkham was going to make it. The officer asked him what happened, and Tinkham alleged that another man at the camp hit him in the head.

At least two people, a couple, were arrested the night of the assault, according to police arrest reports and court paperwork.

Officers working security at the homeless camp had a number of individuals detained for questioning including Anna Kathleen Heine, Sean Ladd, and four other men. At one point during the questioning, Ladd was separated from the others, by both Concord and State Police. Heine allegedly tried to follow Ladd and reportedly became upset when officers told her that it was a private conversation and she needed to stay put, according to an arrest report. Three different times, the officer told Heine to remain where she was and she allegedly ignored commands from the officer.

After the New Hampshire State Police took custody of Ladd, Heine reportedly “became enraged” and bolted past an officer, allegedly knocking the officer back. Other officers ordered Heine to stop and she allegedly didn’t. One officer reached for Heine to detain her and she allegedly attempted to hit the officer in the face, according to Heine’s arrest report. Heine was then subdued and taken into custody.

Heine was charged with simple assault (personal weapons), resisting arrest or detention, and a bench warrant later, after it was found out that she was wanted for nonappearance in court, on a driving under the influence charge, with $990 cash to settle.

During processing, Heine requested to see a judge instead of a bail commissioner and reportedly told the processing officer that she would not be cooperating with the booking process. She was transported to Merrimack County House of Correction and arraigned on Aug. 7.

Ladd was charged with disorderly conduct by state police after allegedly refusing to listen to officers investigating the assault. 

Ladd allegedly “attempted to walk around (a sergeant) on several different occasions so that he could get his personal belongings from the scene," according to the document. "He did this after he was told not to by (police)."

Lt. Timothy O’Malley, the commander of the criminal investigations unit of the Concord Police Department, said the department was not involved in the Tinkham investigation.

Lt. Nicole Armaganian, a spokesperson for the New Hampshire State Police, did not return a phone or email request seeking comment about the case.

Concord District Court reported that no new charges have been filed against the man Tinkham claimed to have assaulted him.

In press reports, Tinkham’s daughters described him as a loving father and a mechanic who could fix just about anything but that he also struggled with substance abuse.

During the last year, Heine has been arrested and summoned to court a number of times, including bench warrants, trespassing, and a conduct after an accident charge. Ladd was arrested for disorderly conduct on July 4, and has been arrested a number of times on bench warrants.