One arrested, one wanted in Portsmouth street fight

PORTSMOUTH — One of two people alleged to have been armed during a street fight in the Wamesit Place public housing neighborhood was arrested Saturday and a second person is wanted, police said.

Arrested Feb. 2 at 10 p.m. was Chase White, 19, of 110 Ledgewood Drive apartment 6, according to police. White is charged with conspiracy to commit armed robbery, attempt to commit armed robbery, falsifying physical evidence, reckless conduct/placing another in danger, criminal threatening with a deadly weapon and criminal liability for the conduct of another, police announced.

Police Lt. Darrin Sargent said a second man, Shaun Barnes, 19, of 81 Old Rochester Road, Dover, is wanted on a warrant for unspecified allegations pertaining to the same incident.

Sargent said White has since been released on $5,000 personal recognizance bail and is scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 22 in the Rockingham County Superior Court.

The incident occurred Jan. 14 at 2:42 p.m. when, police said, responding officers were directed to an apartment at 43B Holiday Drive, while the neighborhood was surrounded by 10 marked cruisers, as well as additional unmarked police cars. Sargent said Monday that loaded .45 and .380 caliber handguns were confiscated from that apartment.

Sargent said the incident involved people from Portsmouth and Dover, as well as Lawrence, Mass., who were visiting the Wamesit apartment. No one was injured, he said.

Portsmouth Housing Authority Director Craig Welch said the day of the incident that the 43B Holiday Drive apartment is rented to an adult woman, who was out of state when her adult grandchildren “threw a party,” leading to the police call. Welch said discharging a firearm and making armed threats are prohibited in public housing, but lawful gun possession is not.

Welch concluded, “We’re glad everyone is safe.”

Anyone with information about the case, or Barnes' whereabouts, can leave anonymous tips with Seacoast Crime Stoppers by calling (603) 431-1199, at seacoastcrimestoppers.com or through the "P3" phone app. Rewards of up to $1,000 are paid for information leading to arrests and convictions.