CANAAN – Police are searching for a handgun allegedly brandished by a man at a motocross event over the weekend.
Craig Moses, a 38-year-old Tilton, New Hampshire, resident, faces multiple charges after police say he engaged in verbal altercations, while armed with a firearm and a knife, with riders at a motocross track on Saturday.
At around 10:30 p.m., Canaan and Enfield police responded to the Cardigan Mountain Fish and Game Club on Ball Park Road, where the Canaan Lions Club hosts motocross races, Canaan Police Chief Ryan Porter told the Valley News in an email on Monday.
“Before arrival, officers were informed that a male subject had been asked to leave by management, was being disorderly, and was allegedly brandishing a firearm,” Porter said.
Despite track management telling him to leave, “he either returned or refused to leave,” Porter added.
Witnesses also heard Moses rack a handgun slide back and observed him holding a black handgun.
“Officers observed signs of intoxication during their interaction with (Moses),” he said.
Police arrested Moses without incident on charges of criminal trespass, disorderly conduct, and criminal threatening with a deadly weapon.
He was released on personal recognizance with conditions not to possess firearms or excessively use alcohol, according to Porter. His arraignment is scheduled for Nov. 30 in Lebanon District Court.
“Out of an abundance of caution and in close coordination with local law enforcement, the Canaan Lions MX management made the decision to cancel the scheduled racing activities on Sunday after we were alerted to a possible threat by an individual at the track on Saturday evening,” Canaan Lions MX, which donates all of its profits to the local Lions Club, wrote in a statement to the Valley News on Monday.
Track management has “full confidence in the safety and security of the facility,” the statement continued.
Plans are underway to reschedule the canceled race.
Authorities searched Moses’ vehicle but did not locate a firearm, Chief Ryan Porter said. The investigation is ongoing.
Canaan police are asking anyone with information on the incident to contact Officer Colton Jack at 603-523-7400 or cjack@canaanpolicenh.gov.
