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Citing ‘dangerous’ handling of firearms, ‘bizarre encounter with police,’ judge denies Colby personal recognizance bail

By Dean Shalhoup - Senior Staff Writer | Jul 23, 2020

James Colby, age 37, of 18 Oak Grove Trail, Nashua

NASHUA – James Colby, the 37-year-old Nashua man arrested a month ago after an officer on patrol saw a car leave the road, go across a lawn and through brush before crashing into a tree, has been denied his request for personal recognizance bail.

Judge Charles Temple, following Colby’s evidentiary bail hearing Wednesday in Hillsborough County Superior Court South, ruled Colby “a danger to himself and the community,” based on evidence that included “credible testimony by police officers,” according to Temple’s order.

Colby, of 18 Oak Grove Trail, will therefore remain in Valley Street jail, where he has been held on preventive detention since his June 23 arrest on charges stemming from his alleged spate of off-road driving that drew the patrol officer’s attention.

The charges filed at the time include two counts of felonious use of a firearm, and one count each of possession of bomb or explosive, driving under the influence of drugs or liquor, and possession of a controlled drug.

According to Colby’s case summary, however, the drug-possession charge was dropped on Monday, and on Tuesday, the two counts of felonious use of a firearm were dismissed, leaving the bomb or explosives possession charge and the DUI offense pending.

Temple, meanwhile, also cited in Wednesday’s order Colby’s possession “of a Glock firearm on his person, and a rifle positioned in a dangerous manner in his vehicle, combined with his confused presentation during a bizarre encounter with police” as reasons for his denial of Colby’s PR bail request.

Also justifying the order, Temple wrote, was Colby’s alleged “possession of a fireworks device, which constituted an unpredictable hazard …. .”

At the same time, Temple wrote that while he “understands the defendant’s obvious need for mental health and substance use disorder treatment,” he feels that given the “circumstances involving the (alleged) possession of firearms and explosive devices … community supervision is not a safe alternative.”

The case summary for this set of charges – which indicates Colby’s next court appearance is a dispositional conference on Sept. 15 – does not include any information on the status of Colby’s two other cases, one of which dates back to March 2015 and the other to just over a year ago.

The earlier case involves Colby’s arrest on a felony count of reckless conduct, which accused him of firing a Glock .40 caliber handgun into the air several times from a moving vehicle.

Nobody was hit and no property damaged in the incident, which police said took place on Nashua’s Dickerman Street.

And just over a year ago, Colby was charged with two felony counts of criminal mischief for allegedly causing significant damage to tables and windows in Rivier University’s Regina Library.

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

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