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Armed robber receives no prison sentence

By Dean Shalhoup - Senior Staff Writer | Jul 17, 2019

NASHUA – One of the tellers working at a north Nashua credit union during a violent armed robbery some four years ago still wonders what he did to the two men to make them want to hold him at gunpoint, threaten to shoot him and “take away my sense of safety and security.”

He should be happy he wasn’t shot, he’s been told by many who meant well. But sometimes, he said, he wishes he had been shot, because then he would “watch himself heal.”

Above all, he just wants to “feel OK again.”

The other teller targeted by the two masked, gun-wielding robbers that morning still suffers from nightmares, being especially haunted by the part in which the gunmen ordered her and her coworker to the floor, “forced us to give us the cash in our drawers,” then demanded more money – that was in a locked drawer she could not access.

The next few moments were excruciating. “I didn’t know what he would do,” she said.

It wasn’t long before anxiety set in. Not only did she have to leave the job she loved, she hasn’t been able to set foot inside a bank since that day.

The former tellers, clearly emotional, sat quietly as a victims’ advocate read the words they wrote in their impact statements ahead of Tuesday’s plea and sentencing hearing for 31-year-old Korey Cholette – one of the mask-wearing, gun-toting men who burst into their workplace the morning of July 2, 2015, and changed their lives forever.

Cholette, whom police arrested in January 2017 after a lengthy, exhaustive investigation fraught with twists and turns that ultimately weakened the state’s case against him, pleaded guilty to one count of felony armed robbery in exchange for probation, paying back the nearly $3,000 he stole, and a prison term of 4-8 years – all suspended for five years.

The fact Cholette isn’t going to prison left the two former tellers feeling like “my voice has not been heard,” as the female teller said.

“I do not feel justice is served, your honor,” she wrote, something that Judge Charles Temple would later address during his fairly lengthy sentencing remarks.

Cholette, represented by Nashua attorney Charles Keefe, fled with his co-defendant from the credit union moments after filling a couple of bags with what was likely $2,750 – the amount in which he is ordered to make restitution.

The co-defendant, although later arrested in Manchester on unrelated charges, was apparently not charged in the robbery. Instead, according to prosecutors, he became one of several witnesses the state used to corroborate other witnesses’ statements as prosecutors tried to piece together a case that would be strong enough to take to trial.

But credibility issues with a couple of the witnesses, and the fact one of them recanted segments of her earlier testimony, left the state with no choice but to agree to the plea deal that Temple, the judge, accepted, albeit “reluctantly.”

A second charge pending against Cholette – one count of witness tampering, accusing him of inducing a witness to recant her statement to police in March 2016 – was dropped as part of the agreement.

Cholette, who lived in Rochester when he was arrested and at 105 Baker St. in Manchester when he was indicted in April 2017, mainly looked forward and focused on Temple during the roughly 45-minute hearing. He did look down and appear to swallow hard as the victims’ advocate read the impact statements.

Cholette chose not to address the court when given the opportunity, a decision that appeared to rankle Temple – who had already indicated his displeasure about the fact the agreement did not include stand-committed prison time.

Although acknowledging the agreement is the best prosecutors could do given the circumstances, Temple said he “feels in my heart” Cholette should “pay a much higher price,” but also urged the tellers to not forget “the courage, the bravery, you showed that day … don’t let him strip that from you,” he said of Cholette. “If you allow that to happen, he wins.”

Temple also told the victims the agreement “leaves you in an unenviable position of not having justice … I don’t like that. It’s a horrible feeling for you, and for me.”

He called what they wrote in their statements “really powerful expressions of how these crimes can really impact a person.”

Turning to Cholette, Temple said he was “reluctantly accepting” the agreement. “To be honest with you, I don’t want to accept it.”

If Cholette “is not a poster child for compliance with all aspects of probation, you’ll be a in a lot of trouble,” Temple continued.

He praised the victims for being “brave enough to withstand your criminal conduct … and courageous enough to come into this courtroom and tell you what they think.” Temple then shared his opinion of Cholette’s choice not to address the court.

“The fact that you’re not man enough to stand in this courtroom and apologize is sickening,” Temple said. “It’s appalling … it shows me the type of person you are.

“Not even one word could you utter.”

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256, dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com or @Telegraph_DeanS.

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