• Man who burned vehicles held without bail in Gardner

• 
  


Dennis C. Connor stands with Attorney Hillary Knight during his arraignment Tuesday in Gardner District Court. Photo/George Barnes
• 
  

  By George Barnes
  Telegram & Gazette Staff
  

  
  Posted Jul. 19, 2016 at 8:01 PM
  
  
  

  GARDNER - A North Carolina man charged with burning two vehicles and confronting his ex-wife with a shotgun Saturday is being held without bail until a hearing can be held Friday to determine if he is too dangerous to be allowed out on bail.

  Dennis C. Connor, 47, of Balsam Grove, North Carolina, was arraigned Tuesday in Gardner District Court, charged with armed home invasion, two counts of burning a motor vehicle, assault on a family or household member, armed assault in a dwelling, assault with a dangerous weapon and carrying a firearm without a license.

  Police arrested Mr. Connor after he followed his estranged wife from North Carolina to 99 Graham St., setting his Toyota pick-up truck on fire. In reports filed with court documents, police said witnesses said Mr. Connor planned to draw his estranged wife and her boyfriend outside, shoot the boyfriend while videotaping the incident and post the video on YouTube as a warning. Inside the house police found a 12-gauge shotgun they say Mr. Connor brought with him when he traveled to Gardner.
  

  The incident did not go as planned. Mr. Connor set his own truck on fire, which also burned the boyfriend's vehicle. The second vehicle was parked in front of the truck in the driveway. Mr. Connor's wife also held the door long enough for her boyfriend to hide. By the time Mr. Connor forced his way in, the boyfriend was hiding in a third-floor closet. Unable to find him by the time police and firefighters arrived, Mr. Connor left the gun in the basement of the building, climbed out a rear window and hid in the bushes.

  Police responding to a 911 call of an armed home invasion arrived to find the two vehicles burning and loud popping noises they initially thought could be gunshots. While police were surrounding the house, Mr. Connor's wife managed to get out of the building. Mr. Connor then came out of the bushes with his hands up and surrendered.

  Police said they were told the incident started in May when Mr. Connor's wife traveled to Gardner to visit her boyfriend. Mr. Connor followed her to Gardner and he confronted her. After trying unsuccessfully to convince him their marriage was over, she finally agreed to return with him for the sake of their son. She told police once back in North Carolina they argued constantly. Sick of it, she took their pickup truck and drove to Gardner on Thursday. Mr. Connor followed on Friday and went to the house to confront her and her boyfriend on Saturday.