New Hampshire man arrested after attempting to flee traffic stop in Ashburnham, resisting arrest

ASHBURNHAM – On Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, at approximately 4:48 p.m., Ashburnham Police Officer Erik Salo was on patrol conducting a stationary radar assignment at 289 Rindge State Road (Route 119), facing eastbound, when he observed a vehicle traveling westbound above the posted 50-mph speed limit.

(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Erik Salo and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)

“I activated the radar unit and confirmed the vehicle’s speed at 67 mph,” Officer Salo said. “There were no other vehicles in the area when the radar unit was used.”

Officer Salo said he then activated the blue emergency lights on his cruiser to conduct a motor vehicle stop.

“The vehicle continued to drive westbound toward the New Hampshire state border as I activated my siren on two occasions,” Officer Salo said.

Officer Salo said the vehicle, a black 2018 Volkswagen Golf with New Hampshire plates, traveled slowly in the breakdown lane toward the New Hampshire border before coming to a stop.

Officer Salo then notified dispatch of his location and provided the vehicle’s registration information.

“Sergeant [Brian] Rosengren then radioed that he would be responding to my location,” Officer Salo said. “I then exited my cruiser and made contact with the operator and sole occupant of the vehicle, identified as Michael Connors through his New Hampshire driver’s license.”

According to police, Michael Connors, 63, is a resident of Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire.

In addition to his driver’s license, Officer Salo said Connors also provided him with the vehicle’s registration.

“I then advised him the reason for the stop and returned to my cruiser,” Officer Salo said. “I queried his New Hampshire license, which was active, but requested a check of his Massachusetts driving status due to the delay in stopping his vehicle. Dispatch advised me that he had a suspended driving status in Massachusetts.”

Officer Salo said he then began to complete a criminal application citation as Sergeant Rosengren was responding to the scene.

“As Sergeant Rosengren arrived near my location in cruiser 6, I observed Connors start his vehicle and advised Sergeant Rosengren that he may attempt to flee,” Officer Salo said. “Connors then began to drive forward for approximately 30 to 45 feet as Sergeant Rosengren pulled in front of his vehicle while I boxed it in from the left side. The vehicle came to a stop after being boxed in by both cruisers and the guardrail.”

Officer Salo called dispatch and requested Rindge police respond as backup in case Connors became combative or needed to be removed from the vehicle.

Officer Salo and Sergeant Rosengren then got out of their cruisers, ordered Connors to exit his vehicle, and told him that he was under arrest.

“Connors had to be physically removed from his vehicle by both officers as I attempt to gain control of his right hand and arm,” Officer Salo said. “Connors continued to pull his arm away from me in a forceful manner and reached for his right side several times.”

Officer Salo said he observed a black clip-on knife and a large black rigid case, which he believed might be a gun holster, on Connors’ right hip area. That was the area Connors kept reaching for as he was told to put his hands behind his back and that he was under arrest.

“Connors continued to actively resist by pulling his arms away with force. I was able to gain control of his arm and hand and Connors was handcuffed by Sergeant Rosengren,” Officer Salo said.

Officer Salo said he removed the clip-on knife from Connors’ belt and determined the large black rigid case was for a cell phone.

Sergeant Rosengren then pat-frisked Connors for additional weapons but found none.

Connors was then placed in the back seat of a cruiser for transport.

“Sergeant Rosengren conducted a motor vehicle inventory of the vehicle and requested TJ’s towing to the scene,” Officer Salo said.

Officer Salo said he spoke briefly with Rindge police on scene before transporting Connors to the station for booking.

Connors’ bail was set at $250 cash.

Officer Salo said Connors was bailed out and released at approximately 8:00 p.m.

Connors was arraigned in Gardner District Court on Sept. 23, 2026. Following his arraignment he was released on bail.

Connors’ next court date is a pretrial hearing scheduled for Nov. 3, 2026.

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Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in September, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.

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